A Gracious Gift
by ravengal
Summary: Pikachu tries to puzzle through his feelings for Buneary, one step at a time. It's just a pity he's not the sharpest tool in the shed... Plus, these weird dreams he's been having really aren't helping matters. [PikaBun]
1. Connections

Author's note: Hey, guys!

Well, since a certain someone said they were 'salty' about me not lagomorphing hard enough, I tried to come up with a fic idea... and then _this_ was born!

It won't be a terribly long fic, I imagine, but I hope you enjoy it, regardless! ravengal's going AU with canon, baby!

Maybe it'll help me get back into the lagomorphing spirit. Coz I'm kind of obsessed with other pairings at the moment. Haha.

*waves rainbow flag*

... Plus, the latest chapter of ITOD (with its five-mightyena action scene) is very intimidating to write. Hence why I've put it off for so long. XD

That and the Hetalia obsession.

Anyway! Onward!

* * *

 **Chapter One** **: Connections**

"Awesome job, guys!" Ash said, giving his team a thumbs up. "You all did great with your training!"

"(Yay!)" the pokémon replied all at once.

"Looks like you'll have no problems at the next gym, Ash," Brock said from where he was stirring something inside a pot.

"Yeah!" Dawn said, brushing her hair on the grass near Brock. "No need to worry! You've got this in the bag!"

Ash glanced over his shoulder. "Thanks, guys!" he replied. Looking back at his pokémon, he gave a determined smile while clenching a fist. "We'll win for sure, won't we?"

"(Heck yeah!)" his team replied.

Brock chuckled. "Now, don't get _too_ big a head, Ash..." he said.

Ash glanced back at him. "I know, I know!" he replied. He paused. "So, when's the food gonna be ready?"

"Soon."

"Aww... but I'm hungry _now_!"

Dawn took on a sagely pose. "Patience is a virtue, Ash!" she said with a smug grin. "How do you think I tame my wild beast of a hairstyle in a morning?" She winked. "Tenacity and _lots_ of hair gel!"

"Yeah, yeah..." Looking back at his pokémon, Ash smiled. "Alright, guys, take five until lunch is ready!"

"(Okay!)" the pokémon replied.

The moment Ash turned around and walked off, Pikachu felt something warm and fluffy attach itself to his side. Not expecting the contact, he jumped.

"(You were amazing, Pikachu...)" the intruder said.

He sighed, shooting his assailant an exasperated smile. Of course.

"(Uh, thanks, Buneary...)" he replied.

As she nuzzled into his fur, he tried to ignore how it made his heartbeat increase.

"(I'm so proud of you...)"

... She was? What on Earth for? Well, he supposed he'd done pretty well in training today, but hadn't everyone else?

"(Aww, isn't that cute~?)" Buizel said. Horrified, Pikachu turned to the weasel to see him smirking.

The other pokémon around him began to cackle, including the ones from Brock and Dawn's teams that had wandered over.

"(It's adorable, is what it is~!)" Sudowoodo replied, cupping his branches together by his face.

"(A real pair of lovebirds!)" Piplup agreed.

"(I ship it!)" Pachirisu said.

Pikachu felt his face burn. "(C-Come on, guys...)" he said pleadingly.

"(Aww, we're only teasin' ya,)" Buizel replied.

"(Yeah,)" Sudowoodo agreed. "(Now, who's up for tag?)"

"(I am!)" most other pokémon replied.

"(Piplup's it!)" Pachirisu cried, tagging Piplup and running away.

Everyone else ran off, grinning.

"(Wait, what?!)" Piplup cried. "(Heeeey! Get back here, you-!)" He promptly tripped and fell on his face. After a moment, he got back up and raced after them. "(I didn't ask for thiiiis!)"

Pikachu sighed to himself.

Once all the pokémon were gone, he looked back over at Buneary, who seemed to have ignored everything around her to continue nuzzling into his fur.

... Just why did she do this all the time? And so shamelessly, at that? Not that he didn't appreciate it, but, legends above, it was embarrassing...

He really hadn't done anything particularly amazing today. Certainly nothing that the rest of the team hadn't done. Yet he was the one getting the congratulatory nuzzle.

... Then again, it was _always_ him who got all the attention from her, wasn't it?

As he continued to observe her - smiling contentedly against him - he had to wonder what made him so special. After all, he was just one pikachu. It wasn't like he'd saved the world, or anything. That job usually fell to Ash. The guy had even been labelled a chosen one once, a long time ago. So, why was Buneary so fond of _him_?

There was always the possibility that she was just overly affectionate, or something, but, again, she never hugged or nuzzled anybody else. So there had to be something special about _him_ , right? But he could never quite work out what it was.

... Most of the humans and pokémon seemed convinced that she had a crush on him. As embarrassing as that thought was, he had to admit that it quite often looked that way. He could never be entirely sure, though, because, again, what made _him_ so special?

"(... Hey, Buneary?)" he asked.

"(Mmm?)" Buneary replied.

"(You wanna go play tag with the others?)"

"(Hmm?)" She opened her eyes. After a moment, she moved away from him and beamed. "(Okay, sure!)"

It felt oddly cold where she was no longer leaning against him. Trying to ignore it, he smiled.

"(Alright then, let's go!)"

* * *

After their fun-filled game of tag, it was time to eat.

While the humans gathered around the table to dine - Ash almost missing the chair in his haste - Pikachu sat down by a bowl of pellets. Buneary took the one next to him.

"(Hey, Buneary!)" he said with a smile. "(Great job in tag earlier!)"

Buneary giggled. "(Thanks,)" she replied, "(but Piplup still caught me in the end.)"

"(Yeah, but you made him work for it.)" He picked up a pellet and nibbled on it. "(Mmm, not bad!)" He chuckled. "(Seems Brock got experimentive with the flavour again.)"

Buneary did the same. "(Hmm, yeah. It's pretty good.)" She glanced over at the humans.

"(What's wrong?)"

"(Aww, our trainers are having rice balls...)"

Pikachu glanced over. "(Huh, so they are.)" He looked back at Buneary. "(What about them?)"

The rabbit pouted, puffing out her lips in a duck face. "(I wish _I_ was having rice balls...)"

Pikachu couldn't help chuckling at the amusing sight. "(Yeah, well, you know how it is...)" He held up his half-chewed pellet. "(Gotta keep us pokémon fit and healthy!)"

"(Yeah...)" She nibbled on her pellet. After a moment, she pulled a mock-distressed face. "(It's so unfair, though! I can smell the red bean paste from _here_!)"

He chuckled again. "(Yeah, I know. But hey! We need these pellets to keep us on a balanced diet! And at least Brock makes sure to mix up the flavours every day.)"

She giggled. "(True.)"

They spent a few moments in comfortable silence, eating their pellets.

Swallowing his latest mouthful, Pikachu glanced in his trainer's direction with a wry smile. "(Though I do wish Ash would give me ketchup more often...)"

Buneary giggled again. Looking back at her, he felt a strange swelling of pride at her response. She always managed to make him feel slightly cooler, somehow.

After a moment, the rabbit picked up a fresh pellet, inspecting it. "(Say... what do you think's _in_ these pellets, anyway?)"

"(Hmm...)" Curious, he mimicked her, picking up a pellet to study it. "(I'd say it's probably... berries and... vitamins and... stuff...)"

Real smooth. He looked so incredibly clever right now...

Buneary giggled. "(So, you've no idea, either.)"

He smiled embarrassedly up at her. "(Nope.)"

"(Well, they're apparently good for us! And, if they have vitamins, then they'd better make you big and strong for your next gym battle!)"

Pikachu gave a determined smile. "(Darn right they better!)"

"(Yeah!)"

Pikachu lifted his pellet into the air. "(To victory!)"

Buneary mimicked him. "(To victory!)"

They tapped their pellets together.

As Pikachu nibbled on his pellet, Buneary smiled softly at him. "(You really were amazing today, you know.)"

He gave her a bemused smile. "(Yeah?)"

"(Yeah. You've gotten so strong...)"

"(Well, I'm not bad, I guess...)" He clenched a fist. "(Though the real test will come in the Sinnoh League!)"

"(Yeah! I'm sure you can win it!)"

"(Well, let's hope so!)" He unclenched the fist with an embarrassed smile. "(I mean, Ash hasn't won any Pokémon Leagues _so_ far, but maybe one day!)"

Buneary looked surprised. "(Really? None?)"

"(Nope. Well, apart from the Orange League, but that one didn't even have a tournament. _Or_ an Elite Four.)"

"(Huh, really?)"

"(Yeah, it just had four gym leaders and a champion. Pretty simple, compared to the other ones.)"

"(Huh, no kidding.)" The rabbit nibbled on a pellet.

Pikachu did the same. Halfway through his pellet, he paused in thought. "(... I wonder how hard the Sinnoh League will be.)"

"(I'm sure you'll do great, no matter what!)"

"(Heh, well, thanks.)"

"(Heck, even if you had to fight a legendary, I'll bet you could still kick its tail!)"

He looked away in proud embarrassment. "(Well...)" He paused. "(Though I guess I did take down a Regice once.)"

"(Wow, really?!)"

He looked back at her in alarm, only to see her eyes sparkling in wonderment.

He suddenly felt awkward. "(Aheh, well... yeah.)"

"(Wow...)" There was a long pause. Eventually, Buneary's face melted into the softest smile he'd ever seen. "(I'm proud of you...)"

The expression was so startling that he couldn't help but stare.

He'd never seen that look on her face before. Holy Arceus, it was... rather cute. He felt his face go warm.

"(Oh, uh... thanks...)"

"(You're a lot stronger than I thought...)"

Unable to look her in the eyes, he glanced away. "(W-Well... thanks...)"

"(No problem, Pikachu...)"

Legends above, his heart was beating so fast right now...

* * *

Sometime later, the pokémon were back in their pokéballs and the humans were on the move again.

Riding on Ash's shoulder - as his trainer hiked across the open fields - Pikachu thought back to that look Buneary had given him earlier.

It had been an awfully soft look. One full of adoration and... affection. Was it possible that she really did have a crush on him, after all?

His heart did a weird somersault at the thought.

Glancing over at Dawn, his eyes drifted down to the small yellow bag on her back. The bag containing Buneary's pokéball.

... If the rabbit _did_ have a crush on him, would it be so bad? Really?

... But _did_ she, though? That was the question. And, if she did, what then? What could he - _should_ he - do?

Groaning, he slumped against Ash's shoulder. He was no good at this kind of thing...

"Hmm?" Ash asked. "Something wrong, buddy?"

He shook his head. "(No...)" he replied.

"Oh. Well, if you say so!"

It wasn't as if he could talk to his trainer about this, anyway. For one thing, the guy could barely understand pokémon-speak. For another, he was like a fire-type to water when it came to romance.

... He'd had that one 'will-they-won't-they' relationship a long time ago, but he hadn't really seemed to care since.

There was Dawn, but he wasn't sure she even cared about romance. Had she even had a crush before? He had no idea.

As for Brock... he'd rather not take any advice from him, if he could help it.

Glancing upwards, his eyes locked onto the pokémon riding atop Dawn's head.

Huh. Now that he thought about it, Piplup had had a crush before, hadn't he? On that one marill who'd left him for an elekid.

His mouth crinkled in thought. As unappealing an idea it was to ask for advice from someone with such a large ego, he had to admit he didn't have many better options. No one else on the team even remotely had any experience with this, did they?

He sighed. After a moment, he opened his mouth to call out to the penguin, but one glance at Dawn's bag made him close it again.

The humans might not have been able to understand, but, from this range, there was no way that Buneary wouldn't be able to hear him.

That would be awkward and embarrassing to explain to her.

Slumping against Ash's shoulder again, he opted to wait until later. He just hoped the penguin would have some semi-decent advice for him...

... He should probably create a list of back-ups, though. Just in case.


	2. Truths

Author's note: Hey, guys! I'm back with more fluff to spread on your sandwiches!

Hope you enjoy it!

Reviews make friendship rainbows!

(Reviews that are relevant to the chapter, of course. Otherwise, they make nega-rainbows...)

* * *

 **Chapter Two** **: Truths**

Finally, after much hiking, the humans decided to settle down for the evening.

While Brock began chopping up the ingredients for a stew, Ash and Dawn kicked off their training with a battle. Choosing Buizel and Pachirisu, they stood several paces apart and launched their instructions.

As usual, Ash and Buizel fought with power and brute force, while Dawn and Pachirisu opted for the prettier, more flowery approach.

Pikachu watched in awe as the various attacks were flung across the battlefield. He always did love watching other pokémon battle. Not as much as he loved battling _himself_ , but spectating did sometimes give him ideas for his own techniques.

In his excitement, his gaze wandered over to the other pokémon that were watching. When his eyes landed on Buneary, who was cheering for Pachirisu, he paused.

Of course. In all the excitement, he'd almost forgotten. He needed to find out, once and for all, where he stood with her.

When he felt his heart do a somersault, he looked away.

Instead, he focused his vision on the penguin nearby, who was also cheering for Pachirisu. Well, he supposed now was as good a time as any to ask. Normally, he wouldn't leave midway through one of Ash's battles, but he figured he'd be okay doing it, just this once.

He edged closer to the penguin in question. "(... Hey, Piplup?)" he asked.

Looking surprised at being addressed, Piplup spun his head in Pikachu's direction. "(Huh?)" he asked. "(Oh, hey. What's up?)"

"(Uh... can I talk to you for a minute?)"

"(Right now?)"

"(Yeah... and... elsewhere, if that's okay.)"

Piplup blinked at him. "(Are you not watching the battle?)"

"(Maybe next time. This is important.)"

"(Oh. Well, okay.)"

Quietly, and without attracting too much attention, Pikachu led Piplup away.

* * *

"(Alright, what was so important?)" Piplup asked, flippers on hips.

"(Well...)" Pikachu replied, glancing away.

"(Hmm?)"

"(... You know Buneary?)"

"(Yeah...?)"

Pikachu paused. It was now or never, he supposed. He took a deep breath. "(... Does she actually like me?)"

There was a pause. "(... Huh?)"

He looked at Piplup. The penguin seemed awfully confused by the question.

"(Does she like me? As in... like-like me?)"

Piplup stared at him for a long moment, looking dumbfounded. Then he burst out laughing.

"(Oh, you're a riot, Pikachu!)" He jumped forward and patted Pikachu on the back. "(I never took you to be such a comedian!)"

"(Uh...)"

Piplup looked him in the eyes, the amused expression frozen on his face. Then his eyes widened and he jumped back in shock. "(Oh, good lord, you're serious.)"

Pikachu grew annoyed. "(Hey, this is serious business! You're always saying that she does, but... does she really?)"

Piplup continued to stare at him. "(... Are... are you really that dense?)"

Pikachu's frown deepened. "(Heyyy!)"

"(No, seriously, are you? 'Cause you're pretty much all she talks about!)"

Pikachu was taken aback by this comment. "(R-Really?)"

"( _Yeah_! When she's not nuzzling you or cuddling you, it's always 'Pikachu this' and 'Pikachu that'! She never freaking shuts up about you!)" Piplup danced around in frustration. "(How can you have never noticed that?!)"

"(But... well...)"

Piplup stopped the dancing to look serious. "(That girl is completely smitten with you!)"

Pikachu blushed. "(But... are you sure?)"

"(... What do mean 'Am I sure'?!)"

"(Well...)" Pikachu looked away, fidgeting. "(I mean, you guys are always teasing me about it...)" Taking another deep breath, he looked back at the penguin. "(But I'm asking you _really_ seriously now... does she like me?)"

"(... Pikachu.)" Piplup stepped forward and placed his flippers on Pikachu's shoulders, looking him dead in the eyes. "(I would _not_ joke about this. I am absolutely one-hundred percent sure that Buneary is crazy about you!)"

"(... Really?)"

"(Yes, really.)" Piplup stepped back and proudly smacked a flipper on his own chest. "(Trust me, she's a keeper.)"

Pikachu looked down at the grass, lost in thought.

There was a pause before Piplup continued. "(Buneary's like a sister to me, you know.)" Pikachu looked up at him. "(And you're like a brother.)" Pikachu's eyes widened in surprise. "(So, of course I wouldn't mess with either of you like that.)"

"(Oh...)"

There was another pause. Then Piplup started dancing around in frustration again. "(So, just ask her out already!)"

Snapping out of his trance, Pikachu's eyes widened. "(Wait, what?!)"

Piplup stopped dancing, once more wearing the serious face. "(You heard me! She really likes you, so just ask her out!)"

"(W-Well...)"

Piplup paused, looking alarmed. "(Unless... unless you don't actually like her that way?!)"

"(N-No, no! I mean... I don't really know how I... but then I...!)" Pikachu's face burned in embarrassment.

"(... Wait. You don't know?)"

"(... Not really.)"

"(Huh. Well...)" Piplup folded his arms. "(Are you willing to give her a chance?)"

Oh, legends. "(W-Well... I... guess?)"

He'd brought this upon himself - he knew that - but he wasn't sure he could handle what direction the conversation was suddenly taking. It was all way too sudden.

"(Well, then, I stand by my original statement.)" The penguin began his frustrated dancing anew. "(Just freaking ask her out already!)"

"(B-But...)"

Piplup stopped dancing. "(Man, what I wouldn't give for a girl to be that crazy about _me_! Not just _any_ girl, though...)" He went quiet for a moment as he glanced at the ground. Then his head snapped back up. "(Don't waste this chance! Even if, Arceus forbid, it doesn't work out, at least you'll have given her a chance!)"

... Well, Pikachu couldn't really fault that logic. Still, the thought of asking Buneary out...

Piplup put his flippers on his hips. "(Look. I see potential with you two. So, don't squander it, okay? I wanna see Buneary happy.)"

"(... Alright.)"

Piplup grinned. "(Good man!)" His gaze softened. "(I wish you all the best.)"

Pikachu smiled back. "(Thanks, Piplup.)"

The penguin suddenly looked quite smug. "(You made a good choice, coming to me!)"

Pikachu's smile turned exasperated. "(Yeah, yeah, I'll bet...)"

After a moment, both smiles became genuine again.

"(Good luck, Pikachu.)"

"(Thanks.)"

Piplup gave him an encouraging grin. "(Go get 'er, tiger!)"

Pikachu returned the grin. "(Yeah!)"

They exchanged a high-five.

* * *

Pikachu and Piplup quietly made their way back to the group, where Buizel and Pachirisu were just finishing up their practice battle. Most members of the group didn't even seem to have noticed their absence. As soon as Ash and Dawn caught sight of them, though, they were immediately called on for a practice battle of their own.

As Pikachu fired a few electric attacks and dodged a few sparkly water attacks, he couldn't help but notice that Buneary was cheering for _him_ , rather than her own teammate.

His heart did a weird somersault at the thought.

* * *

A short while later, the humans and pokémon settled down to eat their dinner. As per usual, Buneary took the bowl next to Pikachu. As she picked up a pellet and nibbled on it, he silently observed her.

'She really likes you', Piplup had said. 'Give her a chance', he'd said. Well, he supposed he _could_ do that...

As the rabbit beamed in his direction, he felt his heartbeat quicken.

Would it really be so bad if they dated? He wasn't entirely sure how he felt about her, but he certainly liked her a lot. He also couldn't deny that she was rather cute...

"(You did really well in training _today_ , too!)" Buneary said.

"(Huh?)" he replied, snapping out of a trance. "(Oh, uh, thanks...)"

Buneary blinked at him. "(You okay? You seem kinda quiet.)"

"(Yeah, I'm fine...)"

Looking down, he focused on nibbling his pellet, instead.

If she really did like him - like Piplup had kept insisting she did - then didn't she deserve to be given a chance?

"(... So, what were you and Piplup doing earlier?)"

He almost choked on the pellet. "(H-Huh?)"

"(Well, I saw you two sneak off during training. Were you talking, or something?)"

Pikachu's face burned. "(O-Oh, you saw that?)"

She giggled. "(Yeah. Can't get by _me_!)"

Chuckling sheepishly, he rubbed the back of his head. "(Yeah... we were talking about... something...)"

"(What were you talking about?)"

Panic began to set in. "(W-Well... uh...)"

She tilted her head curiously. "(Hmm?)"

"(Well...)" Lowering his paw, he fiddled with his pellet, avoiding her gaze.

"(... Is it a secret?)"

"(Well, no...)" He paused. "(I'll... tell you later. After dinner. I was kinda planning to, anyway...)"

"(Oh, okay!)"

He glanced away, continuing to nibble on his pellet.

* * *

After dinner, the humans and pokémon resumed their training. This continued on until the sun dipped in the sky, at which point Brock decided to call a ceasefire. While the humans began to set up camp, Pikachu realised that now was his perfect chance to talk to Buneary, before she and the rest got returned to their pokéballs for the night.

He approached her. "(Hey, Buneary?)" he said.

She turned to him with a smile. "(Oh, hey, Pikachu!)" she replied. "(What's up?)"

"(Well, uh... that thing I said I'd talk to you about...)"

"(Oh yeah?)"

"(Can we... talk about it elsewhere? In private?)"

She blinked in surprise. "(Oh... well, okay, sure.)"

Swallowing thickly, he led her away from the campsite.

* * *

Pikachu hadn't been sure where he'd been leading Buneary, but the moment they arrived at a secluded area, surrounded by bushes, he knew that it was the perfect place.

Stopping in his tracks, he turned to face her. Expression curious, she stopped opposite him.

"(So, uh...)" she said, "(what was this thing you wanted to talk about?)"

He faltered. "(Uh...)" he replied.

"(It must be pretty big for you to wanna tell me in secret...)"

"(Aheh, well, yeah...)" He glanced away awkwardly.

"(... What is it?)"

Oh, legends above, was he really about to do this? Just what was he getting into with this?

"(Uh...)"

"(... Is it bad news?)"

"(N-No, no... it's just...)" He rubbed his arm.

"(Is... something wrong with Piplup?)"

"(No...)"

"(Is something wrong with _you_?!)"

"(No...)"

"(... Then what is it?)"

He took a deep breath, steeling himself, then looked her in the eyes. "(Piplup... said you like me.)"

Her eyes widened, a faint blush dusting her cheeks. "(O-Oh, he... did?)"

"(Yeah...)" He paused. "(He... was pretty confident about it. Is he right?)"

Her blush slowly grew darker. Suddenly, she yanked her fluff up to her face and hid behind it. "(W-Well...)" She rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet. "(Maybe...)"

Pikachu felt his own face heat up. Oh, good lord. Well, there was his answer, he supposed. His definitive proof. Buneary liked him. She, honest and truly, liked him. Romantically.

He felt his heart twist into warm knots at the revelation. Strangely, though, it wasn't painful. Instead, it felt... pleasant.

"(W-Well...)" He scratched his ear awkwardly. "(In that case...)"

She peeked over the top of her fluff. "(Hmm?)"

"(I mean, I don't really know how I... but then I... but then _you_...)" Good grief, he was bad at this.

"(Hmm?)"

He took another deep breath. "(I'm willing to... give you a chance, if... if you like...)"

There was a pause. "(R... Really?)"

"(Yeah...)" He rubbed his arm again. It helped to calm his hammering heart, ever-so slightly. "(I mean... I'm not really good at this sort of thing and I don't... _quite_ know how I feel yet, but... I'm willing to try...)"

The fluff dropped back down to Buneary's waist, her mouth hanging open in shock.

"('Cause dating you might be nice... I mean, I like you and think you're cool and stuff, so...)" He paused, gathering what little courage he had left. "(... What do you think?)"


	3. Chances

Author's note: Hey, all!

Hmm, maybe this fic'll be a bit longer than I thought. Still not massively long, though.

If you like fluff, though, that shouldn't be a problem, right? :D

Hope you enjoy the chapter!

Remember: reviews creates friendship rainbows! Spread the reviews to spread the friendship!

* * *

 **Chapter Three** **: Chances**

There was a long pause. The air was thick with tension as Buneary stared at Pikachu, her eyes wide and her mouth gradually getting wider in shock. The longer Pikachu waited for a response, the more nervous he became.

"(Um...)" he said, shuffling awkwardly, "(so...)"

"(You...)" she replied, "(wanna... date me?)"

"(... Y-Yeah?)"

"(Really?)"

"(Yeah.)"

There was another pause. Then Buneary squealed and tackled him in a hug. He almost fell over from the impact.

"(Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, yes, I'd love to date you, yessss!)"

"(Ack! Okay... well... Ack!)" He tried to steady himself.

"(I can't believe this is finally happening!)"

"(Yeah, well... I... Ack!)"

"(I'm so happy...)"

"(Yeah, well... Ack!)" He finally lost his balance and fell over. Buneary landed next to him on the grass, giggling to herself. Her arms remained loosely wrapped around him.

Pikachu took a deep breath to calm himself. "(Well... like I said, I don't... really know how I feel yet, but...)"

"(Oh, that's okay!)" Buneary glanced shyly down at the grass. "(You're giving me a chance, at least.)"

"(Y-Yeah...)"

He couldn't help but stare at the intense affection in her gaze. She really liked him, didn't she? Possibly more than he'd thought...

"(... Thanks, Pikachu.)"

He blinked. "(Huh?)"

"(For giving me a chance.)"

"(Oh. No problem...)" There was a pause. "(Uh, so...)"

She looked up at him. "(Hmm?)"

Oh, great. He had no idea where to go from here. "(Um...)" He smiled awkwardly. "(So, what do we do now?)"

She giggled at him. "(Well, why don't we go back for now? People will start to wonder where we are.)"

His smile became more relaxed. "(Yeah, you're right.)" He stood up, causing her arms to slide off him. He held out a paw. "(Come on.)"

She beamed, placing her paw in his. He gently pulled her to her feet. As they walked back to camp together, he felt her press into his side.

His heart did several somersaults in his chest as he realised that, oh lord, he had a girlfriend now.

Well, this would take some getting used to...

* * *

As Pikachu and Buneary arrived back at the campsite, the humans all looked in their direction in surprise. After a moment, they wore relieved smiles.

"Oh, there you guys are!" Ash said.

"We were worried for a minute there!" Dawn said. "Though I guess there was no need, huh?"

"(Yeah, we're fine!)" Pikachu replied, turning to smile softly at Buneary, who was still nuzzled into his side.

"(Mmm-hmm~)" the rabbit agreed happily.

"Wait a minute..." Brock said. "Something feels different here..."

"What do you mean, Brock?" Dawn asked curiously.

"(Huh?)" Pikachu asked, looking up.

Brock put a hand on his chin in thought. "Normally, Pikachu would look flustered around Buneary..." he replied, "but he looks strangely comfortable right now..."

Dawn looked over at them. "Oh?" she asked.

"You think so?" Ash asked, also looking over.

Pikachu blanched. Good lord, Brock was observant...

"(Hey, he's right...)" Buizel said, edging over with a smirk on his face. "(You do look awfully cosy...)" He chuckled. "(You two dating, or something?)"

Pikachu felt heat rise to his face. "(Um...)" he replied.

Pachirisu skipped over. "(Hey, yeah!)" he said happily. "(You look like a cutesy-wutesy couple right now!)"

"(W-Well...)" Pikachu replied awkwardly.

There was a pause as they waited for him to deny it.

"(... Wait, you're not, are you?)" Buizel asked.

"(Uh...)" Pikachu's blush darkened.

"(Hee~!)" Buneary said happily.

Buizel's eyes widened. "(... Holy crud, you _are_ , aren't you?)" he asked.

"(What?)" Pachirisu asked, his smile widening. "(For realsies?!)"

Embarrassed, Pikachu looked at the floor. "(Uh...)" he replied, "(y-yeah...)"

Buizel grinned. "(No way!)" he said.

"(Oh, wow!)" Pachirisu cried.

"(... It's about time,)" Croagunk suddenly said.

Pikachu jumped and turned to the frog. Where did _he_ come from?

"(So, you finally bucked up and asked him out, eh, Buneary?)" Buizel asked.

"(Actually, no!)" Buneary replied happily. "( _He_ asked _me_ out!)"

They all stared at Pikachu. The mouse shuffled uncomfortably.

"(... Really?)"

"(Yep! Well, sort of, anyway. He's willing to give me a chance!)"

"(Aww, that's so cute!)" Pachirisu said.

"(Atta boy, Pikachu!)" Piplup called out. "(Following my awesome advice!)"

Buizel glanced in the penguin's direction. "(So, this was _your_ doing?)" he asked.

"(Darn right it was!)"

"(Well, congratulations, you two!)" Pachirisu said.

Suddenly, there came an influx of pokémon voices.

"(They're dating?)"

"(Really?)"

"(He actually asked her out?)"

"(No way!)"

"(How cool!)"

Buizel turned back to the new couple, smiling. "(Yeah, congrats, you two,)" he said. "(Never thought you had it in ya, Pikachu.)"

Pikachu chuckled sheepishly. "(Thanks...)" he replied.

Suddenly, he felt his paw being grasped. Glancing to the side, he noticed Buneary beaming at him. Face still red, he smiled back at her.

"I knew it!" Brock cried, making everyone jump.

Pikachu glanced at him to see him clenching his fist, a strange fire in his eyes.

"What's going on?" Ash asked.

Dawn paused. After a moment, her eyes widened. "Wait..." she said, "are they dating now?"

This caused Brock to explode with emotion. " _Yes_!" he replied. "Pikachu has finally returned Buneary's feelings of love!"

"(W-Well, that might be going a bit far...)" Pikachu said with an awkward smile.

"They are in the springtime of their youth! Which is where _I_ wish to be, with either Nurse Joy or Officer Jenny!"

"Or any _other_ pretty girl that comes along..." Dawn said with a wry smile.

Ignoring him, Ash blinked at Pikachu. "You're dating now, buddy?" he asked.

Pikachu chuckled awkwardly. "(Yeah...)" he replied.

Piplup waddled up to the group. "(And, to think...)" he said, shrugging, "(not long ago, he didn't even know she liked him.)"

"(Pfft!)" Buizel said, holding back a laugh. "(What, really?)"

Pachirisu giggled to himself. "(Wooow!)" he said. "(Talk about being a dopey-dope!)"

"(Hey...)" Pikachu said, his ears drooping slightly.

"(You seriously didn't know?)" Buizel asked.

"(But we always said it!)" Pachirisu said. "(Like, over and over and over again!)"

"(Well, yeah, I know, but...)" Pikachu replied, "(I wanted to be sure...)"

"(It was the most obvious thing ever, but okay...)" Buizel said, shrugging comedically.

"Aww, that's so cute~" Dawn said.

Brock was still clenching a fist, his gaze intense.

Ash continued to stare at Pikachu. "... This isn't gonna get in the way of training, is it?" he asked. Dawn lightly elbowed him in the ribs. "Hey!" He grinned. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" He turned to smile at Pikachu. "Congrats on your new girlfriend, buddy."

Pikachu smiled back. "(Thanks, Ash!)" he replied.

As embarrassing as all the attention was, it was nice having such supportive friends.

Dawn glanced at the sky. "Wow, it's sure getting dark out..." she said.

This snapped Brock out of his trance. He stood up straight. "That's right," he replied. "We should probably get some sleep for tomorrow."

Ash pulled out his pokéballs. "Alright, guys!" he said. "Return!"

Dawn and Brock followed suit. "Return!" Dawn said.

"Return!" Brock said.

This continued until only Pikachu and Buneary remained. Dawn lifted the pokéball to recall the rabbit, but paused, a questioning look in her eyes.

Buneary locked gazes with her trainer, an unspoken conversation passing between them.

After a moment, the rabbit smiled. "(One sec!)" she said. She turned to Pikachu.

Pikachu looked at her in confusion. "(Hmm?)" he asked. "(What's-?)"

Before he could continue, she licked him on the cheek. His eyes widened at the surprise contact and all the blood rushed straight to his face.

"Awwww, that's so cute~!" Dawn cried.

Ash gave a grin that was halfway between amused and exasperated. Tears streamed down Brock's face.

"(G'night, Pikachu~!)" Buneary said.

"(Yeah...)" Pikachu replied, feeling dazed, "(g'night...)"

Smiling, she let go of his paw and hopped forward. "(I'm ready now!)"

"Alright, then," Dawn replied. "Buneary, return!"

The rabbit disappeared in a flash of red light. Pikachu continued to stare at nothing.

* * *

That night, as the humans slept soundly in their sleeping bags, Pikachu lay awake on the grass at Ash's side. Try as he might, he couldn't seem to drift off.

He had a girlfriend... He could hardly believe it. It was still so surreal.

Grazing his fingers across his cheek, he recalled the lick from earlier. Well, he couldn't deny that it had been pleasant. Nice, even.

He still had no idea what made him so special, but it did feel nice to be appreciated. In a more-than-friendly kind of way.

Rolling over onto his back, he rested his head on his arms and stared at the sky. It was a beautiful, clear night and the stars were twinkling bright against the dark backdrop.

... Just what was a guy supposed to do once he got a girlfriend, anyway? He had absolutely no idea.

How was he supposed to know if it was working out? How long would it take to find out? Would he even make a good boyfriend? He couldn't answer _any_ of these questions...

He glanced sideways, just able to see Dawn's small yellow bag nearby. His girlfriend was sleeping in that bag. His adorable, fluffy girlfriend...

Shaking away the thought, he heaved a sigh and stared back at the sky. His thoughts were so jumbled at the moment, he could barely make sense of them. At least now he knew why Ash didn't concern himself with these kinds of feelings anymore. They were so very confusing...

He recalled the feeling of Buneary nuzzling against him. Tackling him in a hug. Thanking him for giving her a chance. Holding his paw in hers. Licking him on the cheek...

As he closed his eyes and rolled over, a tiny smile forced its way onto his mouth. Heh. That silly rabbit...


	4. Discoveries

Author's note: Hey, all! I'm back again for more lagmorpin' goodness!

Hope you enjoy the chapter!

P.S. I'm posting this on my birthday! ^.^ I reach the ripe old age of 27 today.

* * *

 **Chapter Four** **: Discoveries**

The morning sun shone brightly through the trees, casting brilliant sunbeams around the forest. As Brock laid out the food bowls and Dawn tried to convince a squirming Ash to brush his hair, Pikachu stifled a yawn. He was still a bit drowsy from not getting as much sleep as usual, but he was sure he'd be fine in no time.

"Alright, that's the last of them!" Brock said, straightening up.

"Alright!" Ash replied. He stood up, grabbed his pokéballs and tossed them into the air. "Come on out, everyone!"

"You too!" Dawn said, mimicking him.

"It's breakfast time!" Brock said, also mimicking him.

There was a mass of white light as all the pokémon left their pokéballs with a happy cheer. Immediately, they all began to run towards the food bowls.

Choosing the one closest to him, Pikachu sat down. Almost as soon as he'd done so, another bowl was pushed up to his own. He looked up in surprise, only to see Buneary sit next to him.

She beamed, nuzzling against him. "(Morning, Pikachu~!)" she said.

He blushed, both at the contact and the memory of the previous night. "(Oh, uh... g'morning,)" he replied.

She remained pressed into his side, completely ignoring her food. It was rather embarrassing - especially since he could hear quiet chuckling from nearby - but it was also warm and pleasant. His heart was doing that weird somersaulting thing again.

... Was he supposed to be doing something here? He had a feeling he was, but what? Just what did a good boyfriend do in this situation?! He was far too new at this. Not to mention, he'd barely given himself time to think it through before asking her out. Maybe he was in way over his head here...

... Regardless, he had to try. For her sake.

Well, she was currently nuzzling her cheek against his, so maybe _that_ was the right thing to do? It was a rather embarrassing thought, but he supposed he could give it a try...

Mustering his courage, he nuzzled back.

Buneary froze. He blinked, waiting for her to say something, but she'd gone silent. He began to panic.

Oh no, had that been the wrong thing to do?! Had he crossed some sort of boundary that he wasn't aware of?! After one day, was he already being a bad boyfriend?!

"(Uh... Buneary?)" he asked.

"(... Yes?)" she squeaked.

"(Are... you okay?)"

"(... Yes.)" There was a pause. He continued to panic until he felt her relax into him. "(Better than okay.)"

That comment surprised him. "(Oh?)"

"(Mmm-hmm~)"

Oh. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Well, he supposed he'd done something right, after all.

* * *

A few days passed. During this time, Pikachu had gotten a lot more comfortable having a girlfriend, especially now that the others had stopped sniggering around the two of them. Whenever they'd gotten the chance - which was usually when they weren't either training, travelling or sleeping - they'd spent time together. Eating, chatting, playing, even nuzzling.

However, something had begun to niggle at the back of Pikachu's mind. He'd tried to ignore it at first, but now it was starting to keep him up at night, which simply wasn't healthy for him. So he asked to speak to a few select pokémon, while Buneary was playing in the river with Pachirisu and Happiny.

"(So, what's up, Pikachu?)" Buizel asked, folding his arms expectantly.

"(Well...)" Pikachu replied, glancing away awkwardly, "(it's about Buneary...)"

"(You're not regretting dating her _already_ , are you?!)" Piplup asked incredulously.

"(Oh dear...)" Sudowoodo said.

Pikachu snapped his attention back to the small group, his eyes wide. "(No, no!)" he replied. "(It's just...)"

"(Hmm?)" Buizel asked, raising an eyebrow.

Pikachu heaved a sigh. "(... Well... we're dating... and it's great! But...)"

"(But?)" Sudowoodo asked.

"(... Well, we don't do much. I thought having a girlfriend would be like...)" He moved his arms around, trying to find the right word. "(... More.)"

"(Huh?)" Piplup asked.

"(More what?)" Buizel asked.

Pikachu blushed, embarrassed by his own terrible wording. He paused to consider how best to phrase it. "(I just thought...)" he said, "(there'd be more to having a girlfriend than _this_.)"

Buizel looked slightly less confused. "(Oh, I see...)"

"(Yeah. Like... it's basically the same as it was before. Only with more nuzzling...)"

Sudowoodo smiled. "(Well, what's wrong with that?)" he asked.

"(Yeah!)" Piplup agreed. "(Don't you _like_ nuzzling Buneary?)"

"(Well, yeah, I do...)" Pikachu replied, "(it's just...)" He paused to consider his wording again. "(I was expecting... _fireworks_.)"

The three pokémon stared at him.

"(... And, instead, you got what?)" Buizel asked.

"(I guess... sparklers?)"

"(... So, basically, you're saying the relationship's not as exciting as you thought it would be?)"

Pikachu nodded. "(Yeah!)" He suddenly felt guilty. "(But that doesn't mean I'm not enjoying it. I am! I just... expected more.)"

The three pokémon glanced at each other.

Piplup proudly smacked a flipper on his own chest. "(Well, the answer here is simple!)" he said.

Pikachu was intrigued. "(Oh yeah?)"

"(Yep! Take her on a date!)"

"(A... date?)"

"(Piplup, that's genius!)" Sudowoodo cried.

Piplup stuck his beak further in the air. "(Naturally!)" he replied.

"(Actually, that's a surprisingly good idea,)" Buizel agreed. "(Especially coming from him.)"

Piplup scowled at him. "(Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!)"

Buizel ignored him. "(Take her on a date. Spend some quality time alone with her.)" He shrugged. "(After all, you don't really spend much time alone, do you?)"

Pikachu thought about it, his mind running through all the times they'd eaten together, chatted together, played together. Then he realised it was true. There'd always been other people and pokémon around.

"(... Hey, you're right...)" he replied. He paused as a thought struck him. "(But, how are we supposed to get time alone? Ash and Dawn are always travelling and training and, when they're not, everyone's together.)"

Buizel put on a thoughtful face. "(Hmm...)"

"(How about tonight?)" Sudowoodo asked. "(When everyone's gone to bed, you can take Buneary out somewhere. Not _too_ far off, though!)"

"(Hmm...)" Pikachu replied, thinking it over.

"(Yeah,)" Buizel agreed. "(Then you can make the relationship more exciting yourself.)"

"(Just remember that it was my idea!)" Piplup said.

"(Yeah, yeah... sure...)" Pikachu replied, glancing over at Buneary. She was currently splashing Pachirisu while Happiny laughed.

... Well, he supposed it was as good a plan as any...

* * *

Once all the humans and pokémon had settled down for dinner, Pikachu ignored his pellets for the moment, in favour of talking to his girlfriend.

"(Hey, Buneary?)" he asked.

The rabbit paused halfway to eating her pellet and smiled at him. "(Yeah?)" she replied.

"(Um... tonight, did you wanna... go on a date?)"

Her eyes widening slightly, she blinked at him. "(A date?)"

"(Yeah! After the trainers go to bed, maybe we could... go somewhere together?)"

Her eyes widened a fraction more, sparkling slightly. After a moment, she beamed at him. "(I'd love to!)"

He smiled back. "(Okay, cool!)"

* * *

That night, as Ash, Dawn and Brock drifted off to sleep, Pikachu quietly slipped away from Ash's side and over to Dawn's yellow bag. Fishing around inside, he pulled out his girlfriend's pokéball. With a quick nod to himself, he snuck away into the night with it.

* * *

Once clear of the campsite, Pikachu took one last look around him, before determining that he was very much alone. He smiled to himself.

"(Alright, come on out, Buneary!)" he said, cracking open the pokéball.

A bright white light burst forth, swirling together into the form of Buneary.

"(Hey, Pikachu!)" she said happily.

"(Hey, Buneary!)"

He dropped the pokéball on the grass, making a mental note of where it was for later.

The rabbit bounced up and down on the balls of her feet. "(So, where are we going for this date?)"

"(... Um...)" Pikachu faltered. Now what? He hadn't thought this far ahead. "(Well...)"

Buneary tilted her head. "(Hmm?)"

He glanced away. "(Uh...)" Suddenly embarrassed, he laughed, scratching the back of his neck. "(Sorry... I got you here, but now I don't know what to do...)"

She giggled at him. "(Oh, you~)"

Lowering his arm, he glanced around him, searching for inspiration. Looking to the sky, he paused as he noticed what a clear night it was. The stars were so visible, it was almost as if someone had thrown glitter all over a black canvas.

He smiled, an idea striking him. "(Hey, how about we watch the stars?)"

There was silence. Confused, he looked down at Buneary, only to see her staring at him.

"(Um...)" he continued, "(Buneary?)"

She blinked. "(Oh, uh... yeah! Sure!)" She settled down on the grass, turning her gaze to the sky.

Still perplexed, Pikachu sat beside her. He observed her for a few moments, but she didn't move her gaze from the sky.

He began to feel insecure. "(Um... did I make a bad decision?)"

Distantly, she turned to him. "(Huh?)"

He chuckled nervously. "(Sorry... I'm not very good at this boyfriend thing... I've never dated anyone before!)" Buneary made no attempt to respond. He suddenly felt awkward. "(Um...)" Desperate for some sort of conversation, he pressed on. "(Have _you_?)"

Her eyes glazed over. A ghost of a smile on her face, she looked down at the grass. "(Yeah...)"

Pikachu jolted in surprise. He hadn't been expecting _that_ response. "(R... Really?)"

"(Yeah...)"

"(Oh... Oh. Well... was he nice?)"

"(Yeah... he was _really_ nice...)"

There was a pause. Eventually, she sighed, flopping onto her back on the grass. Uneasy, he lay down next to her, turning his gaze to the sky.

"(... So... why are you not still dating him?)"

There was a long pause. "(... He... he left.)"

He turned his head to look at her, but she didn't return the gesture. "(Left?)"

"(Yeah...)"

"(Oh... I'm sorry.)"

"(... D-Don't worry about it.)" She paused again. "(... The stars look pretty tonight.)"

His ears drooped slightly. He could tell that the topic was sensitive, so he wasn't going to push it. Still, seeing her sad made him sad, too.

"(Yeah...)" He turned back to the sky, desperate to cheer her up and make their first date a success. After a moment, he got an idea. Forcing a smile, he pointed upwards. "(Hey, look! It's the Teddiursa constellation!)"

"(... Yeah...)"

He moved his finger. "(And next to it is the Ursaring constellation!)"

Buneary slowly rose her paw and pointed. "(... And over there's the... Milotic constellation...)"

Pikachu smiled wider, happy that he was making progress. "(Hey, yeah!)" He pointed. "(Oh and there's my favourite! The Seviper-bearer constellation! I especially like the Machoke part of it.)"

"(Yeah, it's pretty cool.)" Buneary pointed. "(Oh, there's the Gligar constellation.)"

"(Yeah!)" Pikachu pointed. "(And there's the Kyogre constellation...)" He moved his finger. "(And the Gardevoir constellation.)"

"(I always liked that one. It's so pretty.)"

"(Yeah!)" He turned his head to look at her and was happy to see an actual smile on her face.

Her eyes suddenly widened a fraction and she paused. After a moment, she pointed. "(But that one's my favourite.)"

"(Oh?)"

He looked up to see that she was pointing to the one star that stood out amongst the rest.

"(The Pikachu constellation.)"

His heart skipped a beat at the notion. "(... Oh?)" He gave an embarrassed smile. "(And why's that?)"

She took a few moments to answer.

"(... Because... it shines the brightest...)"

He was surprised by her answer. "(Yeah?)" He paused a moment, observing the constellation of his own species. "(Well, I hope I can shine as bright as that star one day.)"

Silence followed his comment. Concerned, he turned his head to see that Buneary had turned away from him.

His concern grew. "(Buneary?)"

"(... You already do.)"

He blinked. "(Huh?)"

She turned to face him, a strange smile on her face. A smile that was somewhere in-between soft and strained.

"(You already shine bright, Pikachu. You always have.)" She paused a moment. "(To me, at least.)"

His face suddenly grew very warm. "(O-Oh?)"

"(Yeah...)"

"(W... Well, thanks!)" He laughed awkwardly.

Her smile softened considerably. "(No problem...)"

"(S-So, I didn't mess up too badly on the date, I hope?)"

She shook her head. "(Not at all.)"

"(Oh, well, that's good! Though, I should... probably take you on more, just to make up for it, huh?)"

"(I'd like that...)" Shuffling closer to him, she leaned her head on his chest. "(I'd like that a lot...)"

His heart still beating rather erratically, he let out a long breath and looked back up at the sky. Yep, he'd definitely have to make it up to her next time. After upsetting her and only just managing to cheer her up, he felt she deserved it.

No matter what, he was determined to be the best darn boyfriend he could be!

... Though, in future, he'd best start planning out their dates first.


	5. Questions

Author's note: Hey, guys! Did someone order fluff? *lorry backs into parking lot*

Fun fact! Some bits of this chapter are actually similar to a few parts of VGS2's fic, Game-Changer... though he said it's okay to use them, so awesome!

The perks of close relationships!

With that said, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter Five** **: Questions**

Several days passed since Pikachu's date under the stars. During that time, Ash, Dawn and Brock passed through a small town, stocked up on supplies and travelled into another forest.

Pikachu, however, continuously planned. After the last disaster, he was determined to make his next date with Buneary - as well as any dates that came after it - perfect.

Every time they stopped for a break, he scanned the location, making note of what there was to do and how much fun they were likely to have there. He also made plans for what to say - or, rather, what _not_ to say - so as not to upset her again.

He considered having more dates at night, but figured it might be nice to have some during the day, as well. Besides the fact that the scenery would be more visible, it might help ease the memory of their first disastrous date.

Most days, however, were just too busy. Either Team Rocket would capture him, some random strangers would need help with something, or their trainers would spend the day training.

Soon enough, however, the pokémon were given a day off...

* * *

As a few of the pokémon were discussing what to do on this bright and sunny day, Pikachu shimmied over to his girlfriend's side.

He smiled at her. "(Hey, Buneary?)" he asked.

She turned to him, also smiling. "(Yeah, Pikachu?)" she replied.

"(I was thinking... do you wanna, maybe... go on a date today?)"

Her eyes widened. "(A date?)"

"(Yeah!)" He hesitated. "(Unless you're busy, of course.)"

She beamed at him. "(No, I'd love to!)"

He beamed back. "(Great!)"

Piplup puffed out his cheeks nearby. "(Aww, but you said you were gonna play with _us_...)" he grumbled.

Pikachu blinked, glancing at him, then looking back at Buneary. He smiled sheepishly. "(Oh, sorry. You had other plans?)"

"(Well, yeah...)" Buneary replied. She turned to Piplup. "(But they just got cancelled.)" She pulled down one eyelid and stuck out her tongue.

"(Heyyyy!)" Piplup cried, dancing around dramatically.

Pikachu couldn't help but laugh. "(Well, if you say so,)" he said.

* * *

With his paw clasped around Buneary's, Pikachu led her away from the campsite. Far enough for some privacy, but not enough to make anyone worried. Once he reached his desired destination, he pushed aside the nearest bush.

"(Well, here we are!)" he said, leading her through the shrubbery.

The area was grassy and dotted with buttercups. In front of them, crystal clear water ran along the stream, sparkling in the afternoon sun. Various wild pokémon flitted around on the other side of the stream, either resting, taking a drink or eating from the nearby berry bushes.

Smiling widely, Buneary sat down. "(Wow, you picked a nice spot,)" she said.

Pikachu felt a swell of pride. "(Aheh, thanks,)" he replied, sitting down next to her.

For a short while, they sat in comfortable silence, admiring their surroundings and enjoying each other's company.

Eventually, Pikachu smiled sheepishly at Buneary. "(Heh, sorry for taking you away from your game.)"

She beamed back at him. "(Oh, don't worry! I'd much rather spend time with you.)" Pikachu felt warm inside from the comment. "(Besides, I'm sure Piplup can live without me for a day.)"

He couldn't help but chuckle at that. "(Yeah, he can be a bit of a drama queen sometimes.)"

"( _Sometimes_? Try always.)" She giggled at her own joke.

He chuckled harder. "(Yeah, you're not wrong.)" Suddenly, he remembered the bush of berries nearby. "(Hey, do you like belue berries?)"

"(Probably. What flavour are they?)"

"(I think they're sour.)"

"(Yeah, I like sour.)"

"(Alright, cool.)" Standing up, Pikachu walked over to the bush and plucked off two belue berries. Carrying them back, he sat down and held one out to Buneary. "(Here you go.)"

She took it gratefully. "(Thanks.)"

At the same time, they bit into their berries. As he chewed, Pikachu's mouth caught a hint of spice before it was immediately engulfed by a biting sour flavour. He cringed heavily as it assaulted his taste buds.

With some difficulty, he swallowed it. "(Whoa...)"

Buneary laughed. "(Wow, that's sour!)"

He gave an exasperated smile. "(No kidding...)"

"(I like it, though!)"

She bit into it again, cringing heavily and pulling a very strange face, her mouth twisting in all directions. It looked so ridiculous that Pikachu burst out laughing.

Buneary puffed out her cheeks in mock annoyance. "(Heyyy...)"

Pikachu tried to restrain his laughter. "(S-Sorry... It just looked really funny.)"

"(Hmph.)"

He bit into his own berry and cringed heavily. It was nice, but, good lord, was it ever hard to eat.

"(Pfft!)" Buneary suddenly said.

"(Hmm?)"

He looked up at her to see her covering her mouth. After a moment, she burst out laughing.

"(You're right, it _is_ funny!)"

He frowned in mock annoyance. "(Heyyy...)

When she continued to giggle at him, he couldn't help but chuckle along with her.

Buneary was so much fun to be around. It wasn't as if he didn't enjoy hanging out with his other friends, though. He just didn't remember a time he'd gotten along so well with a pokémon. His closest friend - not including Ash, of course - was probably Piplup, but he certainly couldn't have this much fun with _him_. Normally, the penguin would be much too busy inflating his own ego. Whenever Pikachu was with Buneary, however, they'd be quite content just enjoying each other's company.

Any other friends he'd made in the past - whether from Kanto, the Orange Islands, Johto, Hoenn or Sinnoh - just didn't compare, either. Sure, he'd liked them all, but it was different somehow. He hadn't clicked with them nearly as well.

He smiled. He supposed having Buneary as a girlfriend wasn't all that bad.

... Now that he thought about it, though, the rabbit had always made a special effort to hang out with him, hadn't she? Oftentimes avoiding the other pokémon altogether. Well, once she'd gotten over her shyness, anyway. It had been a while before she'd stopped hiding behind her fluff around him.

Regardless, she seemed to have done it for a very long time. Since they'd met, in fact...

"(... Hey, Buneary?)"

"(Hmm?)"

"(Can I ask you something?)"

"(Sure, go ahead!)"

"(Well...)" He hesitated, embarrassed. "(How long have you liked me for?)"

Buneary paused, her eyes widening. "(Huh?)"

"(Well, you've had... feelings for me for a while now, right? So... when did it start?)"

"(... Oh... well...)" She looked down at her berry, fidgeting with it. "(Since... we met?)"

Pikachu blinked. "(That long?)" Slowly, Buneary nodded her head, still not looking at him. "(Huh... and... why was that?)"

"(... 'Cause you were cool.)"

"(Huh? But I don't remember doing anything cool that day...)" Pikachu cast his mind back, trying to remember. "(Hmm... all I did before we met was nearly get run over...)"

"(Heh, yeah...)"

"(Hmm... before that, I was trying to catch Aipom...)"

"(And, before that, you caught a potato.)"

Pikachu snapped to attention. "(Huh?)"

"(I saw you catch the potato that Croagunk threw.)"

"(You did?)"

"(Mmm-hmm.)" She suddenly brightened, looking up at him. "(You jumped off Ash's shoulder, caught it in mid-air... then did three somersaults and landed on your feet.)" Her eyes sparkled.

He chuckled sheepishly. "(Oh yeah... I guess I felt like showing off, for some reason. I didn't think anyone was watching, though...)"

Buneary giggled. "(Well, _I_ was!)"

"(Heh... well, I guess that explains a lot.)"

He'd always assumed that Buneary had merely been passing by that day. That she'd saved him out of the goodness of her heart. He'd always thought it was strange that a random wild pokémon would do that, but he certainly hadn't complained.

He paused as he realised something. "(Wait. So, catching a potato is what made you like me?)"

Buneary blushed, looking back down at her berry. "(Well, no... Well...)"

"(Hmm?)"

She paused. After a few moments, she laughed awkwardly. "(I guess it's pretty silly, huh?)

He chuckled. "(A little, but hey. So long as that's not the _only_ reason you like me...)"

Buneary's head snapped up in shock. "(Oh, no, of course not! You're amazing! You're nice and sweet and cool and modest and just...)" She looked down bashfully. "(Just all around wonderful...)"

He blinked at her, his face suddenly feeling much warmer. "(Oh...)" He paused a moment. "(Really?)"

"(Yeah...)"

Wow. Nice? Sweet? Cool?

... Wonderful?

She really thought all of that about him? That was a little overwhelming, honestly... Nice, but overwhelming.

Was he even deserving of such praise? He hadn't been aware he was anything special, but Buneary's words would suggest otherwise...

It was a strange feeling he was experiencing right now, his heart twisting into knots the way it was. No one had ever paid him such compliments before. Then again, no one had ever crushed on him before, either, had they? Not to his knowledge, anyway. Apart from that one magnemite back in Kanto, but he'd only been interested in his electricity.

... Then again, Buneary had apparently crushed on him for months and he'd never noticed. So, maybe he just hadn't noticed anyone else doing it, either?

Well, it wasn't so much that he hadn't noticed. He just hadn't believed anyone who'd told him that she liked him. He'd had trouble understanding why anyone would, honestly.

That brought him back to the thought of no one crushing on him before. When Buneary had started doing it, the other pokémon had been only too happy to tease him about it. Since none of his teammates - in _any_ of the regions - had ever done that before, he could only guess that Buneary was the only one who'd ever truly felt that way.

... So, just what did the rabbit see in him that nobody else did? Exactly what made him so special in her eyes?

Then again, what had Piplup seen in that marill? Or Sceptile in that meganium? Or Marshtomp in that flaaffy? Or Corphish in that mawile? Or Totodile in that azumarill and quagsire?

... Or Brock in pretty much every girl he met?

"(Well... thanks.)"

"(No problem.)"

"(... Heh... I do have to wonder why no one _else_ thought that.)"

She looked up at him. "(Huh?)"

He gave her an embarrassed smile. "(Well, you know... no one else has ever liked me the way _you_ do...)"

She blinked at him. "(Oh, really?)"

"(Yeah...)" He paused. His smile dipped slightly. "(I'm sorry I didn't notice for the longest time. Your feelings, I mean. Heh, I'm kind of an idiot, I guess.)"

She gave a light giggle. "(No, you're not!)" She paused. "(Well, maybe a little~)"

He mock-frowned at her. "(Heyyy...)"

She giggled again. After a moment, she smiled at him. "(It's okay, though. Even if you don't... return my feelings... I'm glad you gave me a chance.)"

Somehow, his heart stung a little at that comment. "(Heh...)"

"(... As for those other pokémon, they really don't know what they're missing.)"

He blinked at her. "(Huh?)"

"(Yeah! If they're not crushing on you...)" She bashfully smiled down at her berry. "(Then they clearly can't see how amazing you are...)"

"(O-Oh yeah?)"

"(Mmm-hmm...)"

Oh, gosh. He could almost swear there was a strange warmth spreading out from his heart.

"(You... really like me, don't you, Buneary?)"

Buneary's face reddened. Still not meeting his gaze, she nodded. "(Mmm-hmm...)"

His own face reddening, he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "(I've no idea why, but... thanks.)"

Buneary fidgeted with her berry, saying nothing for a few moments.

Eventually, when she spoke again, her voice was meek. "(Well... you're really cool... and nice...)" She paused. "(You...)

"(Hmm?)"

"(It's... difficult to put into words...)"

"(Oh.)"

After thinking it over for another few moments, she continued. "(You're nice... and sweet... You... rescued me when we met, remember?)"

"(Oh yeah, from Team Rocket?)"

"(Yeah.)" She smiled softly. "(You didn't have to, but you did anyway...)"

He chuckled bashfully. "(Yeah, well... you didn't have to rescue _me_ , either, but you did anyway...)"

"(Heh...)" Her smile dipped slightly. "(Well, I couldn't let you get hurt...)"

"(Thanks... and I couldn't let _you_ get pokénapped.)"

Her light smile returned. "(Heh...)" She paused a moment. "(You could have waited for the humans to arrive, but you just... handed yourself over...)"

He laughed awkwardly. "(Yeahhh, well... I dunno. Normally, I wouldn't be so bold, but... something compelled me to do that, somehow...)"

Still smiling downwards, she continued to fidget with the berry in her paws.

After a moment, she continued. "(... You're really brave and strong... like, remember Roark's onix? You took him down, despite the type advantage.)"

"(Yeah, well... only on the second try... and not easily, at that.)"

"(True... but you still did it with no fear at all.)"

"(Well, yeah... but that's only 'cause I'm _used_ to fighting onix... The first time I battled one, I was pretty darn scared.)"

She glanced up at him. "(Yeah?)"

"(Oh yeah! Those things can be terrifying, I tell ya!)"

She chuckled lightly. "(Yeah, I suppose so...)" She paused again, smiling distantly at a spot over his shoulder. "(You're always looking after other pokémon, too... Always breaking up fights...)"

He rubbed the back of his head. "(Well... I try, I guess. They don't always listen to me...)"

She turned to face him, still smiling. "(They should.)"

"(Yeah, well... you know how pokémon can get when they're riled up.)"

She giggled lightly. "(Yeah.)" She paused again. "(Well, either way, that's why I like you.)" She looked up at him with a smile. "(I honestly don't know why no one else can see it... but I'm not complaining!)" She smiled wider. "(Less competition, you know?)"

He felt heat rise to his face. "(Aheh...)"

"(Like I said, I'm glad you gave me a chance.)"

"(Well, I'm... glad you like me.)"

Buneary made a small squealing noise. "(Aww, you're so nice~)"

Pikachu looked down in embarrassment, smiling to himself. "(Aheh, well...)"

Suddenly, the bushes behind them parted. "(Hey! Lovebirds!)" Piplup called out.

Pikachu jumped a foot in the air. Annoyed, he scowled at the penguin. "(Piplup!)"

"(Sorry. Just thought I'd tell you that Brock's getting lunch ready.)"

Pikachu heaved a sigh. "(Alright, thanks...)"

Leaving the way he'd come, the penguin let the bushes fall back into place. There was silence for a few moments, then Buneary giggled.

"(Well, I guess we'd better get back to the group, then,)" she said.

Pikachu gave her a weary smile. "(Yeah, I guess so...)"

"(... Oh! We didn't even finish our berries!)"

He glanced down at the half-eaten berry in his paws. "(Oh yeah, we didn't.)"

After a moment of thought, Buneary shoved the rest of the berry into her mouth. She cringed harder than before. Trying to hold in his laughter at the ridiculous sight, Pikachu did the same.

When the two of them stopped cringing, Buneary beamed at him. "(We should definitely do this again, don't you think?)"

He observed her smile for a moment. That bright, happy smile that lit up her features whenever she was around him. The one that made her positively glow. The one that made her look rather... cute.

... Yeah, he supposed it really _wasn't_ so bad having her as a girlfriend, after all.

He beamed back. "(Definitely!)"


	6. Praises

Author's note: Hey, guys!

Now, who ordered this extra large batch of fluffy blankets? Heehee.

Hope you enjoy the chapter, my lovely readers!

Reviews are love. Reviews are life.

* * *

 **Chapter Six** **: Praises**

 _Noise, noise, noise... So much noise._

 _Yelling and crying and words. Words he didn't register, faces he didn't recognise. Where was he? Who were these people? How did they know him and why were they calling him that?!_

 _What was going on, where was he, how could he get away?!_

 _Why was there a hand on him, why were they restraining him? He had to get away!_

* * *

Pikachu's eyes snapped open. He blinked slowly, taking in his surroundings. Glancing around him, he could see that he was curled up on Ash's chest, his trainer fast asleep in his sleeping bag. He slumped back down, breathing a sigh of relief.

That dream again. He hadn't had that dream for a while, though it liked to return occasionally.

He'd sometimes wonder if it meant something. Confusion? Stress? Insecurity? He knew some people were genuinely fascinated with how dreams worked and what they meant.

He preferred not to dwell on it, personally. It was hardly going to affect his waking life and, besides, it was more likely that his brain was just messing with him while he slept. Like that one time he'd dreamt that he'd turned into a female human and Brock had flirted with him.

He cringed. Nope, he preferred to think that his dreams didn't mean anything...

* * *

"Machamp, use Flamethrower!"

The superpower pokémon opened his mouth and shot out a stream of fire.

"Pikachu, dodge it!" Ash yelled.

The mouse pokémon quickly jumped with a spin to the side, barely avoiding the blast. He could feel the heat from the fire tickle at his skin as he spun away from it.

Ash continued. "Now, use Iron Tail!"

As Pikachu landed, he sent power to his tail, causing it to glow a bright white. Running at Machamp, he leapt into the air and got ready to swing his body around.

The other male trainer smirked. "Machamp, Vital Throw!"

Immediately, Machamp threw out his arm, clothes-lining Pikachu in the chest and knocking the wind out of him. Swinging him around, he threw him backwards.

Hitting the ground and crying out in pain, Pikachu skidded backwards slightly.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried. After a moment, he composed himself. "Thunderbolt, let's go!"

Climbing onto all fours, Pikachu charged up electricity in his cheeks. Once it built up, he unleashed it with a battle cry.

"Machamp, dodge it!"

Machamp tried to sidestep, but he wasn't fast enough. He cried out in pain as he was electrocuted.

"Pikachu, Quick Attack!"

Sending power to his legs, Pikachu ran, faster and faster, towards his target.

"Machamp, Low Sweep!"

Machamp knelt down and swung out his leg as the mouse approached at high speed.

"Dodge it!" Ash cried.

At the last second, Pikachu leapt up. Planting his front paws on the leg, he flipped himself into a somersault and slammed into Machamp's chest. The fighting-type grunted in pain.

"Machamp, Vital Throw!"

Swinging his arm around, Machamp clothes-lined Pikachu, once again knocking the wind out of him.

"Thunderbolt!"

Just as Machamp was about to throw him, he released a blast of electricity. They both cried out as the mouse flew backwards, hitting the ground and skidding across the dirt.

"Machamp, Stone Edge!"

Clenching all four of his fists close to his body, Machamp created two blue rings around himself. After a moment, they formed two rings of large rocks, which rotated around him. With a battle cry, he flung them at Pikachu.

"Pikachu, dodge and use Volt Tackle!"

Using a little creativity, Pikachu leapt into the air at high speed, landing on a flying rock, then immediately leaping over to the next. Keeping up this momentum across the rocks, he was able to build enough electrical charge for the attack.

As he leapt from the final rock, he gave an aggressive battle cry before slamming straight into Machamp. The fighting-type screamed in pain.

The recoil stung as Pikachu landed, though not enough to knock him unconscious. Machamp, however, hit the floor with a hard thump. He didn't get up again.

"Machamp is unable to battle!" Brock declared. "Pikachu is the winner!"

As a cheer resounded from the sidelines, and Pikachu caught sight of Buneary leaping in joy, he couldn't help but smile in pride.

* * *

"(And then you just jumped across them like they were _stepping stones_!)" Buneary squealed.

Pellet halfway to his mouth, Pikachu laughed awkwardly. It was lunchtime and his girlfriend hadn't yet stopped talking about his pokémon battle. Flattering as it was, it was also getting rather embarrassing. Especially since some of the other pokémon were starting to look annoyed.

Even Buizel - who often liked to tease him about his overenthusiastic girlfriend - was glaring at him. It was likely because he was a proud battler himself and didn't appreciate Buneary praising Pikachu like he was the son of Arceus, or something.

Then again, he _had_ shown off quite a bit in that battle... He wasn't really sure why he'd done it. Maybe it was because of his surge in confidence lately, ever since Buneary's confession several days ago.

She suddenly nuzzled against him. "(You're amazing~)"

He nuzzled back. "(Nah, I'm not,)" he replied. "(I'm sure any of the others could've done it.)"

"(Oh, no chance. You're way too cool~)"

He caught a glimpse of Buizel turning away in a huff. He smiled apologetically, though he knew the weasel couldn't see him. He was pretty sure that Croagunk did, though, before the frog turned away.

Buneary continued. "(Say... after lunch, do you wanna go on a date?)"

Pikachu paused. This was the first time _she'd_ asked _him_ on a date. He'd been planning to ask her on another one, but hadn't found the chance to.

"(Oh, uh... sure!)"

She beamed at him. "(Great!)"

* * *

"(Tada~!)" Buneary called out, showing Pikachu the area she'd chosen for their date.

He smiled. "(Oh, wow!)" he replied.

Before him lay a large patch of tulips. Yellow, white, red, purple. All scattered and patternless. It was as if an artist had flicked a paintbrush over a canvas, letting the colours fall where they may.

"(Hee~!)" Buneary spun over to the tulips, smelling them with a delighted look on her face. "(I saw this place earlier and thought it'd be perfect for a date!)"

He chuckled, walking over to join her. "(Well, you're not wrong.)"

She made a happy noise and began to dance around the flowers.

He gave her a smile that was halfway between amused and exasperated. "(You really love flowers, huh?)"

"(Yup!)"

He glanced around at the tulips, taking in the lovely smell. "(So, which kind's your favourite?)"

She paused in thought. "(Hmm...)" After a moment, she beamed at him. "(Pink ones!)"

He raised an eyebrow. "(Pink ones?)"

"(Yup! Any pink flowers, really!)" She glanced around, looking slightly disappointed. "(Oh, but there's no pink ones here.)"

"(Aww, that's a shame.)"

She smiled again. "(Oh well!)" Plucking a red tulip, she hopped over to him. "(Here you go!)"

He blinked at it. "(Oh? What's this for?)"

"(It's a gift! For doing so amazingly wonderful in your battle earlier!)"

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "(Oh, haha, well... thanks.)"

He reached out to take it, but she tucked it behind his ear, instead. He blushed at how girly it probably made him look.

She giggled. "(Aww, you look so cute!)"

He grumbled half-heartedly.

Her eyes suddenly sparkled with a fierce sense of pride. "(You were so incredibly focused in that battle! The way you timed all your jumps perfectly! I know I would've messed up if it was me!)"

"(Naw, I'm sure you would've landed them...)"

"(No way!)" She beamed. "(And you even used mine and Piplup's spinning move to avoid the Flamethrower!)"

He chuckled. "(Yeah, that move's come in handy many a time.)"

"(Hee~! You're so cool!)"

He felt an increasingly familiar warmth spread out from his chest. One he'd been feeling a lot the past few days.

"(Nah, I'm not...)"

She bounced on the balls of her feet, her grin growing larger. "(Oh, but you _are_! You're amazing and wonderful and cool and, oh, why can't you see it?!)"

He felt his face grow warm from the compliments. Averting his eyes, a small smile tugged at his lips.

"(Aheh... well, thanks... but you're no slouch, yourself.)"

There was a pause. "(Huh?)"

He looked back at her to see a confused expression. "(Well... you're pretty amazing yourself, you know... You're really good at contests and you're always inspiring to watch!)" He scratched the back of his head. "(I swear, I picked up most of my tricks from _you_.)"

"(Me?)"

"(Yeah! You're really strong and graceful and...)" He halted mid-sentence. "(Um... w-well, yeah... Basically, you'd be able to do those tricks easy, since you're so cool.)"

Her eyes sparkled. "(Cool?)"

"(Oh, definitely! You've got it all! Strength, beauty _and_ grace!)"

He paused. Oh. Dang, he'd actually said it that time. Not that he regretted it, but still...

Her eyes widened. "(B... Beauty?)"

"(Y-Yeah!)" There was a pause. "(Beauty! I'd say you've got that!)"

She stared, long and hard, at him, her mouth falling open. After a moment, she squealed and grabbed his paws in hers.

"(Oh, thank you, Pikachu! You're the sweetest~!)"

"(Aheh, well-)" He suddenly felt his feet leave the floor. "(Whoa!)"

She spun him around and around in circles, her smile as bright as the sunshine.

"(I'm so luckyyyy!)"

"(Wahhhh!)"

As the myriad of colours flashed by his vision - and occasionally fell out of view - he became vaguely aware that Buneary was bouncing up and down as well.

Funny. This was just like the second time they'd met.

The first time she'd done this, he'd been annoyed. Some weird pokémon he'd barely known had - for no reason he'd been able to fathom - frozen his trainer and his trainer's friends, then danced around the field with him, as if it had all been one big game to her.

Now, however...

As he observed the happy smile on her face - the blurry backdrop of tulips almost looking like a rainbow behind her - he couldn't help but smile back.

Sure, the g-force was doing horrible things to his stomach and his balance would probably fail him once he stopped, but, somehow, that didn't matter at the moment.

Eventually, Buneary ceased her bouncing and landed back on the ground, smiling at him. It took Pikachu a moment to get his bearings back. It was amazing that he could still feel the tulip behind his ear after that.

Once he managed to shake away the dizziness, he glanced down, noticing that Buneary's paws were still holding onto his. It felt oddly nice, though, so - unlike the first time she'd done this - he made no attempt to pull away.

Glancing up again, he then noticed how close her beaming face was. He stared.

... Pokémon of the same species tended to look the same, for the most part. Especially if, like buneary, they had no visible gender differences. However, there was just something special about that smile...

The way it made her eyes sparkle. The way it could light up any area, whether indoors or outdoors. The way it conveyed so much happiness and affection.

It was a smile unique to _this_ buneary. His friend... His _girlfriend_.

As he continued to stare, he began to recall her words from a few days ago. Nice. Sweet. Cool. Wonderful... Not one of those had been throwaway comments, had they? The way she'd shyly looked down as she'd said them, blushing and fidgeting with her berry, had shown him just how sincere they'd been.

They'd come straight from the heart.

Suddenly, his heart started beating like a jackhammer in his chest. A strange warmth collected at his fingers, where she was holding them, and started to spread down his arms. He then became very aware of the feeling of her paws in his. His own paws tingled at her touch.

He'd never felt like this before. It was strange and scary, but, at the same time, lovely. What was this?

Glancing downwards slightly, he caught sight of her pink button nose. Staring at it for a moment, he got the strangest desire to lick it.

His brain screeched to a halt. What? What?! _What_?!

He jumped backwards, pulling his paws from Buneary's grasp. He felt his face heat up like it was on fire.

Buneary gave him a concerned look. "(Pikachu?)"

He quickly turned away, laughing awkwardly. "(So, about that date!)" He began walking in a random direction.

"(Uh... y-yeah...)"

After a moment, she hurried after him, only slowing down to walk alongside him. As her paw brushed slightly against his, it sent a jolt of warmth up his arm.

He suddenly had a sneaking suspicion that he knew what the feeling was.

 _I... Do I... have a crush on Buneary?_ he wondered.

A wave of euphoria splashed over him, calming his heart and filling his head with roses. He felt a sudden desire to hold her close and nuzzle her all day long.

His eyes widened in shock. _Oh, legends above, I... I think I do..._

He glanced over at her to make sure, yet the feeling remained the same. Warm. Cozy. Inviting. Like a cup of hot cocoa by the fire.

... Wow. Just... wow. The feeling was weird and wonderful, yet so confusing and different that his thoughts were just colliding into one another.

He'd never felt like this before. Ever. Sure, he could appreciate beauty when he saw it, but this... This was a whole new feeling.

Suddenly, she looked up and locked gazes with him. Embarrassed that he'd been caught, he quickly turned away.

Oh, good lord... So, he had feelings for Buneary. Okay. Great. But exactly what was he supposed to do now?!

As the date continued, he still had no answer for himself...


	7. Worries

Author's note: Hiya! It is the return of the gift that is gracious! Where even more inspiration was taken from Game-Changer!

I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Reviews create friendship rainbows! Spread the reviews to spread the friendship!

* * *

 **Chapter Seven** **: Worries**

Pikachu and Buneary spent most of their date wandering around, paw-in-paw, and observing the beauty of nature. The way the sun shone through the trees, casting golden shapes on the bushes. The way the tulips' many colours would sway to and fro in the breeze. The way the butterfree and beautifly would circle around each other in a rhythmic aerial dance. The way the starly would sing pleasant melodies from the tree tops. It was lovely.

For the entire date, however, Pikachu found it impossible to look Buneary in the eyes. Every time he tried, his heart would do that weird flip-flopping motion and freak him out, causing him to look away again. At least now he understood what the flip-flopping meant...

Now that he was aware of his feelings, just what was he supposed to do?!

Well, Buneary had feelings for him, too, right? She'd basically confessed to him and that was why she'd agreed to date him in the first place. So, the logical solution would be to tell her, right? After all, it would make her happy, right? To know that her crush was returned?

He glanced at her. When their gazes locked, he quickly looked away again. Oh, legends, how was he going to go about this?!

His heart was pounding in his ribcage, from both excitement and sheer panic. He'd never been good with his feelings, so the thought of confessing to someone? Even someone who was his girlfriend and who very obviously liked him back? His nerves were frayed.

"(You okay, Pikachu?)" Buneary asked.

"(Yep! I'm fine!)" he replied, still not looking at her.

"(Are you sure?)"

"(Yep! Never better.)"

"(... Okay then.)"

* * *

As the afternoon wore on, Pikachu began to grow frustrated with himself. He wanted to say something - _needed_ to say something - but his own cowardice was holding him back.

Buneary deserved to know this, didn't she? After all, she'd been patient with him. Waiting for him to return her feelings. He'd given her a chance, with no promise that he _would_ , and she'd gone along with it.

He frowned in determination to himself. Yes, she deserved to know.

Taking a deep breath, he turned to his girlfriend, who was staring out at the surrounding fields.

"(Buneary?)" he asked.

She turned to him curiously. "(Yes, Pikachu?)" she replied.

"(There's... something we need to talk about.)"

Her eyes widened slightly. "(Oh? And... what's that?)"

As he looked into her brown eyes, his courage started to fail him. "(Well...)"

She put one paw to her mouth, the other still holding his. "(Pikachu?)"

His mouth moved, but no sound came out. Now he just felt like a beached magikarp, flapping his gums uselessly.

"(... Pikachu?)"

He closed his eyes for a moment, composing himself. He couldn't back out now! He had to say what he needed to say.

He opened his eyes again. "(Buneary.)"

"(Y-Yeah?)"

"(We need to talk about... us...)"

Her eyes widened again. There was a pause. "(O-Oh?)"

"(Yeah.)"

"(Wh... What about us?)"

His nerve began faltering again. "(Well...)" His heart was twisting painfully in his chest and breathing was suddenly becoming difficult. "(It's about our relationship...)"

"(Oh...)"

"(Yeah... you and me and... us...)" His confidence was slowly beginning to return now. "(And about how we're dating.)"

"(I... see...)"

"(Yeah.)" He paused a moment. "(Dating you has been... really fun, Buneary. I'm glad I tried it out.)"

Buneary looked away, scuffing her foot on the ground. "(That's good...)"

"(I had no idea what having a girlfriend was like...)" He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "(It was certainly an experience.)"

"(Heh...)"

"(And I've... Huh?)" He blinked as he felt the tulip behind his ear. "(Oh yeah... forgot about that...)" Hmm. Maybe it was best to do this without the flower. He probably looked ridiculous in it, anyway. "(Mind if I take this thing off now?)"

"(... No...)"

"(Okay, thanks.)" He removed it, holding it by his side. "(Anyway, yeah. I've given it a lot of thought and... well... I... think I know how I feel now...)"

"(... I understand.)"

He blinked, not expecting that response. "(... Huh? You do?)"

"(Yeah...)"

He smiled, breathing a sigh of relief. It suddenly felt like there was a huge weight off his shoulders.

"(Oh, well, great!)" He chuckled awkwardly. "(Sorry... I'm really bad with words and I was a nervous wreck for a minute there! But I'm glad you understand.)"

"(Yeah...)" She slowly pulled her paw away from his.

He blinked again, confused by this action. "(Huh?)"

She turned away. "(It's okay...)"

Now he felt concerned. "(Buneary?)"

She was silent for a few moments.

He edged forward slightly. "(Are you okay?)"

"(Yeah...)"

It was then that he noticed how moist her eyes were.

His own eyes widened. "(Are... you crying?)"

She sniffled, quickly wiping her eyes. "(I'm... alright.)"

Wow. But why would she be crying? Unless she was just that happy? Surely, that had to be it.

He smiled slightly, reaching a paw towards her. She moved away from it, causing his smile to drop.

She refused to look at him. "(Well... this is it then...)"

"(Huh?)"

"(Thanks for... giving me a chance...)" She swallowed hard.

"(Uh, yeah! No problem...)"

"(Well, I... guess I'd better be getting back to the others.)" Her voice suddenly cracked at the end.

His ears drooped. Something certainly felt off here. "(Well, okay then...)"

"(S-See you later...)" She quickly hopped away, back towards camp.

As he watched her retreating form, he couldn't help but ponder her reaction. He'd assumed she was happy about his confession. That she was just overwhelmed at the thought of her feelings being returned.

... So, why hadn't it _looked_ like she was happy?

... Unless she _wasn't_ happy.

No. Surely, that couldn't be it. She liked him, didn't she? So, why _wouldn't_ she be happy about his confession? It didn't make any sense.

... Unless she didn't like him anymore. Perhaps she'd changed her mind in the last few days and hadn't wanted him to like her like that?

No. Surely, that couldn't be it, either. It hadn't been that long ago when she'd poured her heart out to him. Told him all the reasons why she liked him. Surely, she couldn't have changed her mind that quickly.

So, what else could be the reason?

... Unless she'd misinterpreted something he'd said. He supposed that was a possibility. He racked his brain, trying to figure out what he might have said.

Well, in all fairness, he hadn't actually _said_ that he liked her, had he? But she'd said that she understood, so it was okay, right?

... But what if she hadn't?

Frowning to himself, he decided that he needed to talk to her again. Whatever was going on, he needed to figure it out.

Slowly, he began his walk back to camp.

* * *

As Pikachu emerged from the bushes into the area where the others were, he immediately halted in his tracks. In the distance, he could see Piplup, Pachirisu and Buizel, all crowded around Buneary. Piplup appeared to be hugging her, while Pachirisu and Buizel appeared to be patting her on the back.

Suddenly, he saw her body shake. His heart stopped in his chest. Oh no. Was she sobbing?!

His heart now racing in panic mode, he dropped the tulip, got on all four paws and ran towards them.

"(Buneary!)" he cried.

Everyone present turned to him. Both Buneary's and Piplup's faces were soaked from their own tears. Buneary immediately tried to wipe hers away.

Pikachu skidded to a stop before the crowd of four. "(Are you okay?!)"

Piplup pulled away from Buneary. "(Pikachu, how could you?!)" he cried, looking heartbroken.

Pikachu jolted. "(Wh-Wha-?)"

"(Now, Piplup...)" Buizel said, putting a paw on the penguin's shoulder, "(as sad as this is, we have to be fair to him.)"

Piplup looked up at him. "(Huh?)"

"(He did hold up his end of the bargain, remember?)"

"(Yeah,)" Pachirisu agreed. "(He gave her a chance, just like you asked him to.)"

Piplup spun to look at him. "(But-!)" he cried.

"(Yeah...)" Buneary agreed, sniffling, "(and we can't ask much more of him than that, can we?)"

Piplup gave her a sad glance. After a moment, he sighed. "(Yeah, I guess not...)"

"(What's...?)" Pikachu began.

They all turned to him again.

"(Well, I'm glad you tried it out, Pikachu,)" Buizel said.

"(Yeah...)" Pachirisu said. He sighed. "(My poor shipping, though...)"

Buizel shot the squirrel a sympathetic glance.

Pikachu was very confused. "(Wait, what are you...?)" he asked.

"(Pikachu,)" Buneary said, giving the mouse a slight smile. "(Thanks again for... giving me a chance...)" She hiccupped slightly.

"(Uh... no problem, but...)"

"(Even though it didn't work out...)"

His brain screeched to a halt here. "(... Huh?)"

"(... I promise not to flirt with you anymore... okay?)"

He blinked at her, not understanding. "(R-Really?)"

She nodded. "(Yeah.)"

"(But...)"

"(I just hope we can still be friends after this...)"

Suddenly, something clicked in his brain. He understood what was going on now. What she was saying could only mean one thing. He felt his heart cave in beneath his ribcage.

"(You're... dumping me?)"

Piplup, Pachirisu and Buizel all fell to the floor. After a moment, they jumped back to their feet, looking exasperated.

"(What do you mean?!)" Piplup cried. "( _You're_ dumping _her_!)"

He blinked. "(Wait, what? No, I'm not!)"

"(Yes, you are! Man, I knew you were dense, but forgetting you dumped your own freaking girlfriend?!)"

"(I didn't dump her!)"

Buizel huffed. "(She came hopping over to us in tears, because you'd broken up with her,)" he said.

Pikachu looked between the four faces in panicked distress. "(But I didn't!)"

Buneary blinked. "(Is... that not what you were trying to say?)" she asked.

"(No! I... You thought I was...?)"

He felt his world crash around him. She thought he'd dumped her? Had his wording really been that bad that she'd thought a confession had been a break-up?

He slowly lifted himself onto his feet, staring at the ground in horror. Wow. He'd really done it this time, hadn't he?

He looked up at her, desperation likely showing in his eyes.

"(I... I...)"

They all tilted their heads at him.

"(... Pikachu?)" Buneary asked.

"(I... I'm so sorry... I'm... really bad with words, Buneary, and I...)" His ears drooped. "(I wasn't dumping you! What I was trying to say was that...)"

He paused as he glanced around. Everyone in the group was staring at him. He was suddenly starting to lose his nerve.

"(What's wrong?)" Piplup asked.

"(I... I...)"

Could he really say this with everyone watching? Or should he ask to speak to Buneary in private? He looked over at her again, seeing the way her curious brown eyes watched him.

... No. He'd already made enough of a mess, as it was. He had to fix it. Right here and now.

He took a deep breath. "(... My... My wording may have been terrible... I admit that... but... what I was... _trying_ to say was that...)" He paused a long moment, gathering his courage. "(... I like you.)"

Buneary's eyes widened.

Feeling more courageous, he tried again, much louder. "(I really like you!)"

Everyone stared, wide-eyed, at him.

"(R... Really?)" Buneary asked meekly.

It was only now that he realised how hard his heart was pounding. "(Y-Yeah. I don't wanna break up. I... I want us to keep dating and... being together, because... I like you...)" Suddenly, he felt his face explode in heat. "(A lot.)"

Trying to ignore how embarrassing this was, he watched for her reaction.

"(Oh, halleluiah!)" Piplup cried.

"(Wow,)" Buizel said, smirking and folding his arms. "(Well, I'll be darned.)"

"(Huzzah!)" Pachirisu cried. "(My shipping! It lives!)"

Buneary continued to stare for a few moments longer. Then her eyes started watering.

Pikachu began to panic. "(Oh no! Buneary!)" he cried. "(I'm sorry, did I do something wrong again?!)"

She broke out into fresh sobs, holding her paws to her face. Panicking, Piplup quickly moved over and hugged her.

Pikachu felt awful. Twice, in one day, he'd made her cry. It was making his insides twist into painful knots and he was sure he was going to start crying, himself, if it continued.

"(I'm...)" Buneary said through her sobs and hiccups, "(so happy!)"

He blinked. Happy? She was happy?

He took a tentative step forward. "(B-Buneary?)"

Pulling away from Piplup, she smiled at Pikachu, her face stained with tears, but her eyes shining.

After a few moments, she let go of the penguin and rushed towards Pikachu, tackling him into a hug and sobbing against his shoulder.

"(I'm so happy...)"

Concerned, he gently hugged her back.

"(Hey, guys!)" Sudowoodo suddenly called out.

"(Hi!)" Happiny said.

Pikachu looked up to see Sudowoodo being carried over, one-handedly, by Happiny. It would have been an amusing sight, if not for the current predicament.

Sudowoodo was gently placed on the ground. "(Is Buneary feeling better?)"

"(Yeah,)" Buizel replied, "(I think she's okay now.)"

Sudowoodo smiled, saluting. "(Oh, that's good!)"

"(Yay!)" Happiny cried in joy.

"(... So, Buneary...)" Pikachu said slowly.

She looked up at him. "(Mmm?)" she asked.

"(Um... are we still... you know...?)" He looked away in embarrassment and shame.

She gave a light giggle. "(Only if you want to.)"

"(Of course I do...)"

She made a happy noise, nuzzling against him. "(Then yes~)"

He couldn't help but smile in response.

... As far as being a good boyfriend went, though, he clearly had quite a way to go...


	8. Stories

Author's note: Hey, guys! Time for another chapter!

This one will actually be in two parts! So, look forward to the next part!

Hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter Eight** **: Stories**

Around a week passed since Pikachu's blunder. During this time, he tried very hard to make up for it by spending quality time with Buneary. They went on a fourth date, shared pleasant conversations and played many games together. He even picked her the occasional flower.

Everything seemed to be going well. He was managing to keep his girlfriend happy and that made _him_ happy, too. He didn't think he'd be able to handle upsetting her again. Especially over something stupid.

Smiling to himself, he nuzzled up against her, the warm glow of the campfire washing over them both. After passing through the last town, Brock had discovered a sale on marshmallows, so he'd bought several bags. Currently, the large group was seated around three campfires - being too large to fit around just one - and roasting the marshmallows on sticks.

Pikachu's group consisted of him and his closest circle of friends. Ash's group consisted of him, Dawn, Brock, Sudowoodo and Croagunk, with Cyndaquil sitting on Dawn's lap and Happiny sitting on Brock's lap. The third group consisted of the rest of the pokémon, some of which were fighting over marshmallows. Despite that, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

"(And then the bubbles flew around in a spiralling arc and looked _amazing_ ,)" Piplup said smugly. "(But that's no surprise, coming from _me_ , right?)"

"(Piplup,)" Buizel said. "(I hate to burst your bubble...)" Next to him, Pachirisu giggled. He smirked slightly. "(But you've already told us this story.)"

"(Well, it's a story that deserves telling _again_!)"

Pikachu smiled exasperatedly. Then, after a moment, something pressed against the stick he was holding over the fire. Noticing that it was Buneary's stick, he glanced questioningly at his girlfriend.

Smirking playfully at him, she gave his stick another gentle nudge. He blinked at her.

Suddenly getting it, he smirked back, returning the nudge. She giggled, nudging harder. He retaliated, causing the two sticks to push against each other in a battle of wills.

"(Aww, that's so cute~)" Pachirisu said.

Pikachu blinked again. "(Huh?)" he asked, turning to the squirrel.

Pachirisu grinned at him. "(You and Buneary. So adorable~)"

He smiled in embarrassment. "(Aheh, well, you know...)"

"(Hmph!)" Piplup said proudly, sticking his beak in the air. "(And it's all thanks to _me_ that they're together!)"

"(Heh, yeah...)"

"(Tsk,)" Buizel said, still smirking. "(I still can't believe you went to _Piplup_ , of all pokémon, for advice...)"

"(Because my advice is _awesome_ , that's why,)" Piplup replied.

"(Sure it is...)"

Piplup scowled. "(Hey, it worked, didn't it?!)"

Buizel shrugged. "(Well, I guess I can't argue with you there.)" He paused. "(Still, Pikachu, I dunno why you only asked _him_.)"

"(Yeah, seems kinda silly!)" Pachirisu added.

"(Heyyy!)" Piplup cried, writhing in annoyance. "(It is not silly!)"

In his struggle, his marshmallow slipped off and fell into the fire. He stared at it in horror.

"(Well, that was only 'cause Piplup's the only one I know who had a crush...)" Pikachu replied, slightly embarrassed.

Buizel snorted, suddenly looking smug. "(Well, you clearly know nothing about _me_ , then,)" he said.

"(... Huh?)"

"(I had a crush once, before I was caught by Dawn.)"

Pikachu's eyes widened in surprise. "(Really?)"

"(Yup.)"

"(... What happened?)"

Buizel shrugged. "(Eh. It didn't work out.)"

"(Aww, really?)"

"(Yeah.)"

"(What happened, what happened?!)" Pachirisu asked excitedly.

"(Well, it's not all that interesting, really.)"

"(Aww, come on, tell us!)"

"(Yeah, I'd be interested in hearing it,)" Pikachu added, pulling back his marshmallow to blow on it. He paused a moment. "(Oh, unless you'd rather not tell us, of course...)"

"(Heh,)" Buizel replied. "(Nah, it's fine.)" He paused. "(She was a female buizel. I thought I had a pretty good chance with her, but someone else wanted her, too...)"

Pikachu nibbled on his melting marshmallow, intrigued. "(Oh yeah?)"

"(Yeah. He challenged me to a battle over her...)"

* * *

 _As Buizel lay face-down on the ground, every muscle in his body screamed in pain. He cringed, scowling up at the smug face of the male buizel above him. The ever-present scar across his better's eye continued to lord his experience and superiority over him._

 _As he tried to push himself to his feet, a foot was firmly planted on the back of his head, shoving him back into the dirt._

 _"(Give up,)" the other buizel said snidely. "(You've got no chance.)"_

 _He growled, unable to do anything but stare at the grass beneath him._

 _The foot ground into his head, rubbing his nose against the soil. "(You're about a hundred years too early to beat_ _ **me**_ _.)"_

 _Suddenly, the pressure on his head was removed. Glancing up with a wince, he caught sight of his crush, who was only looking mildly concerned about his condition._

 _"(Come on, babe. Let's blow this joint.)"_

 _"(... Alright, then...)" she replied._

 _Gently leading her away, the scar-faced buizel walked away and never returned._

* * *

"(Ever since then, I became obsessed with getting stronger, so it would never happen again,)" Buizel explained.

"(Aww, that's so sad!)" Pachirisu cried.

"(That explains that rough training regimen you used to do,)" Pikachu said.

"(Yeah,)" Piplup agreed. He paused a moment. "(That I completely _owned_ at!)"

"(It also explains why you were battling every trainer you met,)" Buneary added.

"(Yep,)" Buizel replied. "(I got caught on a fishing line one day, then beat the trainer in a pokémon battle. It felt so good that I started getting myself caught on purpose, just to train more.)" He paused, then shrugged. "(The more fishing lines came by, the more trainers I beat up. So I started getting cockier.)"

"(Then you started stealing the fishing rods as trophies,)" Pikachu said.

"(Yep.)" Buizel paused a moment, then laughed. "(And the funny thing is, I completely got over that crush. Battling became my new passion.)"

"(Well, that's good!)" Pachirisu said happily. "(We wouldn't want you staying sad about that!)" He paused. "(So, what about the _rest_ of your backstory? Was that tragic, too?)"

Buizel chuckled. "(Well, I'd hardly call it tragic... but nah. The rest is kinda boring, in comparison. I grew up, I moved out, my family was pretty cool. That's it, really.)"

"(Then how about I tell you about _my_ backstory?)" Piplup said, swiping away Buizel's marshmallow stick.

Buizel scowled. "(Hey!)"

Ignoring him, Piplup continued. "(Mine is much more interesting.)"

Pikachu smiled. "(Sure, Piplup,)" he said. "(Go ahead.)"

Piplup proudly smacked a flipper to his chest. "(I grew up in a breeding centre, surrounded by other piplup... but, of course, I was the most awesome one there!)"

"(Sure you were...)" Buizel grumbled.

"(What were they like?)" Pachirisu asked excitedly.

"(Hmph!)" Piplup huffed. "(They were all jerks.)"

Pikachu blinked. "(Jerks?)" he asked.

"(Yeah!)"

* * *

 _Sucking in a deep breath, Piplup sent power to his beak, then blew out a stream of bubbles. They were much smaller and slower than they should have been._

 _A piplup with a tuft of dark blue feathers on his head scoffed. "(You call that a Bubble Beam?)" he asked smugly._

 _"(Yeah, that was really lame!)" a piplup with a tuft of white feathers on either side of her face agreed._

 _"(It's not lame!)" Piplup cried, pouting heavily._

 _"(Yeah, you're right,)" a piplup of a much lighter blue replied. "(You're lamer!)" She shoved him to the ground._

 _"(Heyyy!)"_

* * *

Buizel smirked. "(So, basically, you were the runt of the litter?)" he asked.

"(No, I wasn't!)" Piplup cried. "(They just couldn't appreciate my greatness, is all!)"

"(But you were weaker than them.)"

"(I was still developing! Genius takes time, you know.)"

"(Sure it does.)"

"(Anyway, that's not all...)"

* * *

 _"Alright, guys," the breeder called out, "dinner time!"_

 _Immediately, all the piplup in the yard ran happily over to her, trampling over Piplup in the process. He yelped as each set of flippers made contact with his body._

 _After a few moments of lying motionless on the ground, he jumped to his feet. Fuming, he tried to push his way to the front._

 _"(Kaylee! Kaylee!)" he cried out to the breeder dressed in green. "(I'm hungry! Over here, Kayleeee!)"_

 _As each and every piplup clambered over one another to get to Kaylee's bucket of pellets, Piplup found himself being pushed further and further back._

 _He began to get upset. The constant bullying, plus his lack of strength and inability to stand up for himself had led him to breaking point._

 _Unable to stand any more, he started flailing, loudly screaming at everyone around him._

 _Every head turned in his direction._

 _"Oh, are you getting left behind, little guy?" Kaylee asked with a sympathetic smile. She calmly walked over to him, fishing pellets out of her bucket and holding them out for him. "Here you go."_

 _He stared at them, tears dotting the corners of his eyes. After a few moments, he huffed and took them from her._

* * *

Buizel smirked. "(Certainly explains why you're such an attention hog,)" he said.

"(Hey, I'm only getting the attention I deserve!)" Piplup replied.

"(It also explains why you're such a drama queen!)" Pachirisu added happily.

Piplup flailed angrily. "( _I am not a drama queen_!)"

"(Sure you're not,)" Buizel replied, subtly swiping back his marshmallow stick.

"(Heyyy!)"

Pikachu exchanged an exasperated smile with Buneary.

Pachirisu beamed. "(Ooh, can _I_ take a turn now?)" he asked. "(I wanna tell _my_ backstory, too!)"

"(Sure, go ahead,)" Pikachu replied, turning to him.

"(Alright, cool! Well, growing up, I had a loooot of energy! Like, seriously, loads. I couldn't sit still for even a minute!)"

Pikachu's exasperated smile returned. "(Yeah, I'll believe that...)"

"(It's okay _now_ , though, 'cause I have training and battles and contests to keep my energy low! But, back then, I didn't have any of that!)"

"(So, what did you do instead?)" Buneary asked.

"(Well...)"

* * *

 _"(Surprise!)" Pachirisu cried, falling from a tree onto the head of an unsuspecting victim._

 _The houndour yelped in shock. "(What?!)" he cried._

 _"(Diiiischaaaarge!)" He zapped the dog, who cried out in pain._

 _The houndour snarled. "(Why, you little-!)"_

 _Pachirisu jumped off. As he landed, he turned slightly to stick out his tongue, before giggling and running away._

 _"(Get back here!)"_

* * *

Buizel snorted slightly. "(You used to troll the local wildlife?)" he asked.

"(Yep!)" Pachirisu replied.

"(Now, that wasn't very nice...)" Pikachu said.

"(Hey!)" Piplup cried angrily. "(And you trolled us, too, when we met you!)"

Pachirisu giggled. "(Yep!)" he replied.

"(Wow,)" Buneary said. "(What did your parents think of you doing that?)"

Pachirisu blinked, the smile falling from his face. He looked down at the ground in contemplation.

"(Uh... Pachirisu?)" Buizel asked.

After a moment, Pachirisu looked up again, his smile gentler than before. "(My parents... well...)" he replied, "(they could never really handle me, to be honest... I always had so much more energy than them... and, after some of the pokémon I annoyed started attacking our tree...)" He trailed off.

Everyone's eyes widened.

"(Attacking your tree?!)" Piplup cried.

"(Yeah... My mom and dad didn't like that. The minute I was old enough to leave the nest, they kicked me out.)"

"(Oh, you poor thing...)" Buneary said.

"(... Well, I can't really blame them, I guess. Even Dawn couldn't handle me, at first. Remember when she released me?)"

Pikachu's ears dipped slightly. "(Yeah...)" he replied, "(that can't have been fun for you...)"

"(Nope. I'd only just gotten attached to her...)" Pachirisu smiled brighter. "(So, I'm glad she changed her mind and caught me again.)"

Everyone else smiled in return.

The squirrel sat up straighter. "(So, whose turn is it now?)"

"(Well, the lovebirds still haven't had a turn,)" Piplup replied, turning to dig though the bag of marshmallows he'd previously ignored. "(Not that their stories will be better than mine, of course!)"

"(Sure, sure...)" Buizel said, taking the bag and passing it around.

All the pokémon got themselves another marshmallow and began roasting them over the fire.

"(How about Buneary, then?)" Pachirisu asked excitedly.

There was a pause. Confused, Pikachu turned to look at his girlfriend. She was slowly glancing back and forth between all of their faces with a wide-eyed expression.

"(... Buneary?)" he asked.

"(Oh, uh...)" she replied, using her free paw to pull her fluff over her mouth. "(Well...)"

"(Hmm?)" Buizel asked.

"(My... backstory wasn't very interesting, really...)"

Pachirisu grinned wider. "(Oh, come on!)" he said. "(It must've had _something_ interesting!)"

There was another pause as she fiddled with her fluff. "(... Well... I was very shy as a kid...)"

"(Ooh, really?)"

"(Yeah... I... always had trouble talking to other pokémon...)"

* * *

 _"(Come on, dear,)" Buneary's mother said gently. "(There's a new friend here to see you~)"_

 _Buneary slowly peeked her head out of the burrow. The moment she met the gaze of a smiling shinx, she squeaked and ducked out of view._

 _The lopunny sighed. "(Come on, dear...)"_

 _"(Wow, she's really shy, ain't she?)" the shinx asked._

 _"(Yes... Come on out, dear. There's no need to be afraid.)"_

 _Remaining hidden, Buneary chose not to respond._

 _"(I ain't gonna bite!)"_

 _Again, Buneary didn't respond._

 _Her mother let out another sigh._

* * *

"(Wow!)" Pachirisu said. "(You really wouldn't talk to _anybody_?)"

"(Yeah...)" Buneary replied awkwardly.

"(Why was that?)" Buizel asked.

"(I dunno, I... just found everything outside the burrow scary.)"

"(Well, you're really different _now_ ,)" Pikachu said with a smile, "(so, how did you get over it?)"

"(... I just... grew out of it.)"

"(Just like that?)" Piplup asked curiously.

"(Yep...)"

"(Huh...)" Pikachu said. "(Okay, then...)"

"(... Well, that was enlightening!)" Pachirisu said, grinning. "(I'm learning so much today!)"

"(Yeah,)" Buizel agreed. "(No kidding.)" He turned to look across the fire. "(So, Pikachu, what about _you_? You got anything interesting to say?)"

Pikachu jolted slightly at being addressed. "(Oh, uh...)" he replied. After a moment, he smiled sheepishly. "(Well, to be honest, I don't remember much before Lexi.)"

"(... Lexi?)" Buneary asked.

"(Was she your old girlfriend, or something?)" Pachirisu asked.

"(N-No, no, that's not it,)" Pikachu replied with a flustered smile. "(She was my old trainer.)"

Every pair of eyes widened.

"(You had a trainer before Ash?!)" Piplup cried.

"(Yeah. She... wasn't a very _good_ trainer.)"

"(... What happened?)" Buneary asked.

Pikachu laughed awkwardly. "(Well, it's a really long story... I'm not sure you'd wanna hear all of it...)"

"(Of course we would!)" Pachirisu said excitedly. "(Tell us, tell us, tell us!)"

Buizel smirked. "(Yeah, come on, tell us,)" he said.

"(Don't hold out on us, maaaan!)" Piplup cried.

"(... Please?)" Buneary asked.

Pikachu looked between all four eager faces. After a moment, he exhaled slowly and smiled.

"(Alright, then,)" he replied. "(Where do I start...?)"


	9. Experiences I

Author's note: Hey there, guys!

... Well, this chapter turned out waaaay longer than I thought it would. Like, double the length. So I split it into two!

Expect the next chapter within a few days, if all goes well!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

 **Chapter Nine** **: Experiences - Part 1**

 _"Pichu, Thunder Shock!" Lexi called out._

 _"(Thundeeeer...)" Pichu cried out, sending power to his cheeks, "(Shoooock!)"_

 _He unleashed the electrical charge at his intended target - a large rock they were using for training - but he immediately felt agonising pain. He screamed before blacking out._

 _When his consciousness returned soon afterwards, he blinked a few times to get back his vision. Above him loomed a head of blonde hair that fell just past the shoulders, green eyes narrowed in annoyance._

 _"Tsk," Lexi said. "Man, I really hope you evolve soon... Alright, get up and try again."_

 _"(O... Okay...)"_

* * *

"(Being a pichu, I was always electrocuting myself...)" Pikachu explained. He smiled awkwardly. "(It made training really hard, but I tried my best...)"

* * *

 _Pichu panted in exhaustion, struggling to pull himself up from the floor._

 _Behind him, Lexi sighed in irritation. "You wanna get stronger, don't you?" she griped._

 _"(Y... Yes...)" he replied._

 _"Then get up and try again."_

* * *

"(I could never win a battle,)" Pikachu explained. "(At best, I could tie with a pokémon, but, mostly, I lost... and Lexi started to get annoyed with me...)"

* * *

 _"Here," Lexi said, shoving a container of pokémon food into Pichu's paws._

 _"(Thanks...)" he replied._

 _Lexi moved away to sit down and eat her sandwiches, scowling at the sky. Her black T-shirt, as always, perfectly reflected her mood. With a dejected sigh, Pichu sat down amongst his teammates, all three of them quietly eating their pellets. Pulling out one of his own, he nibbled on it._

 _He cringed at the taste. Dry as sand. Soft as a sponge. About as tasty as dirt._

 _... But it was food._

* * *

Buizel's eyes widened. "(She gave you bad food?)" he asked.

Pikachu smiled awkwardly. "(Yeah...)" he replied. "(Well, it was edible... it was just the cheapest stuff she could buy.)"

"(She didn't make it herself?)" Pachirisu asked.

"(Heh, nah. She could barely make sandwiches, never mind pokémon food.)"

"(... But she... looked after you, right?)" Buneary asked quietly.

Pikachu gave a light sigh in response. "(Well, she fed me and trained me, sure... but...)"

* * *

 _Failure. He was a failure. No matter what he did, no matter how hard he tried, he could never do anything to make his trainer happy._

 _She often praised her spearow, her sandshrew and her male nidoran, but never him. He was the group underdog. The one who could never do anything right._

 _He stared at the metallic walls of his pokéball, miserable. How often had he been forced to stare at these walls? Far too many hours a day. Lexi only ever let him out to eat and train, then he'd be straight back in here. Straight back to staring at the walls._

 _At first, it had been a comforting space. Warm. Cozy. A place to curl up and relax. It had calmed him down the day he'd been caught._

 _Now, however, he craved the outdoors. It was big and wide and beautiful, yet he was never allowed to explore any of it._

 _Inside the pokéball, it was quiet. Lonely. It was rare he got to speak to anyone. Hear anyone. Where even were they? He had no idea. Lexi never travelled with anyone, never spoke to anyone, so he never knew where she'd travelled. She never really talked to her pokémon, either. Never let them run around. Play. Have fun._

 _He was going stir-crazy._

* * *

Pachirisu had his paws over his mouth. Buizel's eyes were wide. Piplup's beak had fallen open. Pikachu, however, didn't dare to look at Buneary's face.

Ears drooping slightly, he continued.

* * *

 _As Pichu nibbled on his pellets, he glanced around at his teammates, who were all eating quietly. Was this all there was to life? Was there really no more? He had the strangest feeling there_ _ **was**_ _more, but, for the life of him, he couldn't remember. All he could remember was hysteria, then a pokéball. Had Lexi hatched him, then caught him? He had no idea._

 _It frustrated him to no end that he had no idea._

* * *

"(All those feelings combined...)" Pikachu explained, "(well...)" He tried to smile. "(I'm sure you can imagine...)"

* * *

 _As Pichu continued to eat his disgusting pellets, the frustration began to build. His lack of socialising. His inability to battle. The lack of sympathy from his trainer. The lack of knowledge about his life beforehand. The many hours inside his pokéball. It was becoming too much._

 _He scowled, deeper and deeper, at his pellets before throwing them away in a rage._

 _The other three pokémon looked up at him._

 _"(What's wrong with_ _ **you**_ _?)" Sandshrew asked._

 _"(Everything!)" Pichu shrieked._

 _"(Whoa, jeez,)" Spearow said, giving him an unimpressed glance, "(calm down.)"_

 _"(How can I be calm?!)" Pichu's eyes began to water. "(Everything sucks!)"_

 _He was tired, confused and stressed. His life was terrible. He hated it. Yet it was the only life he'd ever known._

 _That only frustrated him more._

 _"(... Is that so?)" Sandshrew said._

 _"(Yes! The food's horrible, the trainer's mean and I'm always in my stupid pokéball!)"_

 _"(Pfft,)" Spearow replied. "(Baby.)"_

 _He blinked at her. "(Huh?)"_

 _She ruffled her feathers at him. "(This is what having a trainer is like. Get used to it.)"_

 _His eyes widened. "(Wha-?)"_

 _"(It's true!)" Nidoran said with a grin._

 _Sandshrew shrugged. "(It's been like this the whole time we've been with her,)" he said._

 _"(Then...)" Pichu replied, "(why haven't you done something about it?)"_

 _Spearow scoffed. "(What's the point?)" she asked. "(It is how it is.)"_

 _"(Yep!)" Nidoran agreed. "(Totally!)"_

 _"(We should be grateful she's actually feeding us...)" Sandshrew said._

 _"(But...)" Pichu protested weakly._

 _"(Stop whining and just put up with it!)" Spearow snapped. "(Jeez...)"_

 _Turning away, the three of them went back to eating._

 _Pichu stared at them in hurt and disbelief, his ears drooping low against his head._

* * *

Piplup, Buizel and Pachirisu were still staring, their eyes conveying silent distress.

Pikachu smiled awkwardly. "(So, yeah,)" he said, "(it wasn't the best-)"

He heard a sniffle beside him. Blinking, he turned to his girlfriend. The sight that met his eyes slammed into his chest with the force of a freight train. Her eyes were wide and crinkled in anguish. Tears were leaking out the sides and down her face. Her body was shaking. The marshmallow stick she'd been holding lay forgotten in the fire.

Oh, legends, he hated that look on her face. It hurt so much.

Tentatively, he reached a paw out towards her. "(Buneary?)"

Wailing, she flung herself at him, hugging him tight.

"(I'm sorry!)" she cried. "(I'm so sorry you had to... go through all that!)"

"(Hey, hey... it's alright.)" He tried to smile for her as he stroked her back. "(I'm happy _now_... and, to be fair, it could've been a whole lot worse.)"

She sniffled again. "(I know, but...)"

"(Come on, no more tears...)"

There was another sniffle elsewhere. "(Come on, Buneary...)" Piplup said, "(stop it, or you'll set _me_ off, too...)"

"(That story was so sad, though!)" Pachirisu cried. "(You were all alone and sad and your trainer was a jerk and your _teammates_ were jerks and-)"

"(Yeah, sounds like you had it rough,)" Buizel said.

Pikachu turned to them, still comforting Buneary. "(Yeah, but it's all in the past,)" he replied. "(Things have gotten better since then.)"

"(So...)" Piplup said, "(what happened after that?)"

Pikachu blinked. "(Huh?)"

"(Well, you ended up at Oak's lab, right?)" The penguin shook the tears out of his eyes and gave a determined frown. "(I thought you were born there, or something, but clearly not!)"

"(Yeah, that's a good point,)" Buizel agreed. "(What happened?)"

Pikachu heaved a sigh. He didn't want to upset Buneary any further, but his friends did seem rather curious.

"(Well...)" he replied.

* * *

 _"Pichu, Thunder Shock!" Lexi called out._

 _Pichu had reached his breaking point. He'd only been able to go on for so long, being treated like a slave by his trainer and being ignored by his teammates._

 _"I said, use Thunder Shock!"_

 _He scowled, remembering the lack of love. The lack of caring._

 _"Pichu!"_

 _Why should he fight for someone who probably wouldn't do the same for him? Why should he be part of a team that didn't care about him?_

 _So he snapped._

 _Tightly folding his arms, he turned away with a huff._

 _"Pichu!"_

 _The other trainer laughed. "Looks like your pichu doesn't like you very much!" he said._

 _"Pichu! Use... Thunder Shock!"_

 _"(No,)" Pichu replied._

* * *

"(Oh, man,)" Buizel said. "(You defied her?)"

"(Yeah...)" Pikachu replied. "(I just couldn't take any more, so I... refused to fight.)"

"(... How did she take _that_?)" Pachirisu asked.

"(Well... she wasn't happy. The more I defied her, the angrier she got with me... until, one day...)"

* * *

 _Pichu could sense that something was off the second he'd been called out, but he wasn't sure what it was. All he knew was that it had felt different from the other times. It was almost like his very molecules were taking a breath of fresh air. He glared up at the face of his trainer, who was also glaring down at him._

 _"... Well," she said, "since you refuse to listen to me, I guess I have no choice." She flicked her head upwards in a signal. "Go."_

 _He blinked at her, confused._

 _She scowled deeper. "You heard me. Go!"_

 _He continued to stare._

 _"You don't wanna obey me, you don't wanna evolve... so just go!" She stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jeans, suddenly looking uncomfortable._

 _He frowned, suspicious. She was letting him go? Really? Just like that?_

 _They continued to hold each other's gaze, unblinkingly, almost like a staring contest. Waiting for the other to crack. To make the first move._

 _Eventually, something flashed across Lexi's face. An emotion that he'd never seen on her before._

 _... But he was too angry to care what it was. He was just glad to be rid of her._

 _Wasting no time, he turned on his heel and ran into the forest._

* * *

"(She released you?!)" Piplup cried.

"(Yeah...)" Pikachu replied. He forced on a smile. "(I should have expected it, really... since I'd been disobeying her...)"

"(What was that weird emotion, though?)" Buizel asked.

Pikachu paused a moment with his answer. "(Well... when I look back on it... it might have been regret.)"

"(Regret?)" Pachirisu asked.

"(Yeah. Maybe she was finally starting to realise the mistakes she'd made... I don't think she was doing things maliciously... I think she just didn't know how to look after pokémon properly.)"

Pachirisu's eyes widened. "(Really?)"

"(Yeah.)" Pikachu's smile softened. "(I hope she's changed for the better since. Her pokémon deserve it.)"

"(But they were complete jerks to you!)" Piplup cried, flailing angrily.

"(Well, yeah... but _they_ didn't know any better, either.)"

"(... So, what happened next?)" Buneary asked quietly, still cuddled up next to him.

"(Well...)"

* * *

 _It was only after Pichu's anger cooled did he realise that he had no idea how to live in the wild._

 _The first thing he did was panic. What would he do? Where would he go? He didn't know of any home he could return to, so he'd have to start from scratch. Where would he find food? Shelter?_

 _He glanced around him at the wide open space, suddenly terrified. He could hear pidgey chirping in the trees. Feet scuttling through the bushes. Wind whistling through his ears. Fields of green stretching as far as the eye could see. It was daunting._

 _... Then it hit him._

 _He was in a world of possibilities. He could build his own life. His own future. He could mark out his own path._

 _... He was free._


	10. Experiences II

Author's note: Hi again!

Well, here it is! The rest of the beast that is 'Experiences'.

... Prepare yourself for some anime logic.

I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

 **Chapter Ten** **: Experiences - Part 2**

"(With nowhere to go, I just travelled...)" Pikachu explained. "(Travelled and trained. It was scary at first, but I eventually got used to it.)"

"(Wow,)" Buizel said.

"(You didn't stop to settle down somewhere?)" Pachirisu asked.

"(I could've done...)" Pikachu replied, "(but something was driving me forward...)"

* * *

 _Pichu didn't know where he was heading and he didn't really care. In fact, stopping tended to make him restless, so he would only stop for a short time - either to rest, eat, drink or sleep - before moving on again._

 _He no longer wanted to socialise. Not with humans_ _ **or**_ _pokémon. His only instinct was to keep on moving._

 _A part of him still remembered being the underdog. Still remembered being worthless in battle. So he trained. He challenged any wild pokémon he came across. It was all he knew how to do, really._

 _Many times, he fainted, but he kept on trying. Over time, his Thunder Shock grew stronger and stronger and he was able to withstand it for longer._

* * *

"(Life was decent, I guess,)" Pikachu explained. "(I didn't have any friends or family, but I was getting stronger by the day.)" He paused. "(I dunno why, but it was all I wanted, really. I grew obsessed.)"

"(I know that feeling,)" Buizel replied.

Pikachu gave him a small smile. "(I guess you do.)" He paused. "(It became all I thought about... getting stronger. I didn't have anything else, so it was all I focused on. Then, one day...)"

* * *

 _Pichu had no idea how he'd gotten here. All he knew was that he couldn't stop staring._

 _All around him was metal. Metal fences, metal structures, metal wires. The wires hummed with life. Electricity. Power._

 _... He would love to have that kind of power._

 _Glancing along the compound, he could see that the metal fence stretched all around it, covered with barbed wire and prohibiting access._

 _Glancing down, however, he caught sight of something. A hole in the ground, leading under the fence. Most likely dug up by a pokémon. A way in and out._

 _He made his way towards it._

* * *

"(I was drawn to the place like a mothim to a flame,)" Pikachu explained. "(When I got in there, though...)"

* * *

 _Still in a trance, Pichu continued walking towards the humming. It was getting progressively louder and it spoke of power. So much power._

 _He blinked as he saw something yellow on top of one of the metal towers. It appeared to be absorbing electricity._

 _The moment it saw him, it leapt down the tower - one metal bar at a time - before landing in front of him with a scowl._

 _"(What do you want?)" the electabuzz growled._

 _Pichu scowled back at him, getting on all fours. "(Let's battle!)" he cried._

 _The electabuzz blinked. After a moment, he laughed. "(Alright, fine.)" He got into a battle stance. "(Bring it on, kid.)"_

* * *

Piplup's eyes bulged. "(You challenged an electabuzz?!)" he cried.

"(In the middle of a power plant?!)" Pachirisu asked.

Buizel smirked. "(Hardcore,)" he said.

Pikachu chuckled awkwardly. "(Yeah, well...)" he replied. "(Not one of my better ideas...)"

"(... What happened?)" Buneary asked.

"(Well...)"

* * *

 _"(Swiiiift!)" Electabuzz cried, opening his mouth and firing out a barrage of stars._

 _Pichu jumped around, dodging the stars one after another, before being hit by the very last one. He was blasted backwards, but remained standing. He scowled at his opponent, then gathered electricity in his cheeks._

 _"(Thundeeeer... Shoooock!)"_

 _The blast of electricity flew towards Electabuzz, who smirked in response._

 _"(Heh, please.)"_

 _Standing still, he opened his mouth. The electricity - which had been aiming towards his head - immediately changed course and went down his throat, instead. Pichu's eyes widened._

 _Electabuzz smirked wider. "(My turn.)" He built up electric sparks around his body. "(Thunderrrr... Shoooock!)"_

 _Pichu watched the stream of electricity flying towards him, fearful. It crackled, humming with power, just like the wires had._

 _He suddenly remembered the electabuzz absorbing it. Eating it. No wonder the attack was so powerful._

 _The memory remained in his brain, even as the lightning bolt hit._

 _Pain like he'd never felt coursed through his veins, constricting every one of his muscles. He screamed in agony._

 _For about five seconds, he kept on screaming. Then, determined to pull through, he gritted his teeth, hard, and tried his best to bear it._

 _When it finally stopped, he drew heavy, exhausted breaths, though he remained standing. Barely._

 _He felt different, somehow. His whole body felt like it was humming. It felt like something was aching to be let out._

 _Keeping it inside was hurting. It was hurting so much. He had to let it out._

 _"(Thundeeeer...)" The crackles around his cheeks seemed larger than before. "(Shoooock!)"_

 _Lightning shot in all directions, electrocuting everything around him. Distantly, he heard the electabuzz scream, but he didn't care. All he cared about was unleashing this energy._

 _It hurt, though. Oh, legends, it hurt. But it needed to be let out._

 _His electricity must have hit something, because there was suddenly a gargantuan explosion, blowing him off his feet. Landing on his face, he skidded across the floor._

 _When he stopped, he had no energy left. Glancing around him, he could see carnage. Fire, debris and an unconscious electabuzz._

 _Finally, he'd done it. He'd become strong._

 _He smiled to himself. After a moment, he began to giggle. Then he began to glow._

 _He could feel his muscles expanding, his body becoming taller. Wider. Once the glow went away, he knew he looked different. He_ _ **felt**_ _different. He was a pikachu now._

 _He giggled one last time before falling unconscious._

* * *

"(Whoa...)" Pachirisu asked. "(You destroyed the power plant?)"

"(Then evolved from it?)" Buizel asked.

"(Yeah...)" Pikachu replied awkwardly.

"(And you didn't even feel bad about it?!)" Piplup cried, flailing dramatically.

"(Well, I feel bad _now_... but, at the time, I just wanted power...)"

"(But...)" Buneary said, "(don't our species evolve through emotional attachment?)"

"(Well, yeah... My case is weird, though, 'cause I was emotionally attached to power.)" He gave an awkward smile. "(Anyway, when I woke up...)"

* * *

 _Pikachu slowly blinked himself awake, his blurry surroundings starting to come into focus._

 _"Oh, he's awake," a gentle voice said. The face of a woman with swirly pink hair and a nurse's cap suddenly appeared above him. "Hey, little guy."_

 _"Oh, what a relief," a rough, elderly voice replied. The face of a man with grey-ish brown hair appeared. "I still can't believe he took out the town's power supply by himself. At least, according to that electabuzz." He paused. "It's lucky I was passing by!"_

 _"Yes, thank you for finding him. I'm very sorry that I couldn't treat him, but, with the power going out..."_

 _The man smiled. "Oh, don't worry, dear! I'm just glad you had a potion handy."_

 _"(... Huh?)" Pikachu asked weakly._

 _The woman smiled sadly. "I'm afraid I can't keep him here right now. I can't keep_ _ **any**_ _pokémon, until the power comes back on."_

 _The man paused for thought. "Hmm..." He glanced at Pikachu. "Well, I suppose I can take him back to my lab in Pallet Town."_

 _"(Huh?)" Pikachu asked again._

 _The man pulled out a pokéball and pressed the button to enlarge it. Pikachu's eyes widened slightly._

 _The man tapped him with the pokéball. Instantly, he was pulled inside. He wanted to fight, wanted to escape, but he was still too weak. So he didn't._

* * *

"(He took me back to his lab and healed me,)" Pikachu explained, "(and, after that, he kinda just kept me there. Maybe to keep me safe... or to keep the people of... I think it was Viridian City... safe... or maybe both.)"

"(What was Oak dong in Viridian City?)" Piplup asked.

Pikachu shrugged. "(I dunno. I think he was running an errand, or something.)"

"(And you were okay with him keeping you?)" Buizel asked.

"(Not really...)"

* * *

 _"Pikachu," Professor Oak said, "I'd like to introduce you to your new friends." He waved his arm to indicate them. "This is Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle."_

 _"(Hi!)" Bulbasaur said happily._

 _"(Pleasure,)" Charmander said, nodding._

 _"(Sup,)" Squirtle said, folding his arms with a grin._

 _Pikachu frowned at them, then turned to frown at Professor Oak._

 _"... Well, aren't you going to say hi?" Professor Oak asked._

 _"(Hmph,)" he replied, turning away._

 _All three pokémon made surprised noises._

 _"Come on, Pikachu... be reasonable."_

 _"(Hmph.)"_

 _"Just talk to them and maybe you'll get to like them."_

 _"(Yeah, we're not so bad,)" Charmander said._

 _"(We're nice, we promise!)" Bulbasaur said._

 _"(So, do you wanna be friends, dude?)" Squirtle asked._

 _Pikachu glared at him out of the corner of his eyes. "(I don't want friends like_ _ **you**_ _guys,)" he replied._

 _Squirtle immediately bristled. Bulbasaur looked confused. Charmander looked hurt._

 _"(What the heck's_ _ **that**_ _supposed to mean?!)" Squirtle yelled, balling a fist._

 _"(What, wasn't I clear enough?)"_

 _"Oh dear..." Professor Oak said._

 _"(You little-!)"_

 _Professor Oak immediately got in-between them. "Now, now, there's no need to fight!" He took on a sagely pose. "After all, to fight is to increase might, but it's not always right."_

 _"(Hmph,)" Pikachu huffed, turning away._

* * *

"(I... didn't get along with anyone at the lab...)" Pikachu explained. "(I still didn't trust anyone, pokémon or human, so I often got into fights with Squirtle, who was pretty hot-headed himself...)" He smiled awkwardly. "(Kind of appropriate, considering who our trainers are...)"

* * *

 _"(You did that on purpose!)" Squirtle yelled angrily, his face slightly singed._

 _Pikachu huffed, turning away. "(So what if I did?)" he asked._

 _Charmander groaned. "(Really guys?)" he asked. "(This again?)"_

 _Bulbasaur giggled. "(I think it's entertaining!)" she said. "(Where's Oak's popcorn when you need it?)"_

* * *

"(I was a menace,)" Pikachu explained. He paused. "(Oak would try to put me in a pokéball, but... I'd refuse. Often zapping him, if he got too persistent.)" He paused again. "(After the last time, I came to hate pokéballs...)"

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Buneary's ears droop.

"(But you were still bound to a pokéball, right?)" Buizel asked. "(Since Oak caught you and all.)"

"(Yeah...)"

* * *

 _"Come on, Pikachu, please," Professor Oak said. "Starter day is today, so I need you to stay in your pokéball!"_

 _Pikachu glared at him. "(No,)" he replied._

 _Professor Oak put on a pleading face. "Please? It'll just be a little while."_

 _"(No!)"_

 _"I'll make it up to you with plenty of treats."_

 _"(No!)"_

 _Professor Oak put his hands together in a praying motion. "Please! The kids are due any moment and I can't have them being around you!"_

 _"(Hey!)" Pikachu's cheeks started sparking. "(What is that supposed to mean?!)"_

 _Professor Oak shrieked. "I'm sorry, you're just too dangerous to be around ten-year-olds!" He paused, shivering in fright. "I-I'll give you lots of cakes! Or ketchup! Or both! I just need you to get in the ball!"_

 _Pikachu paused. He'd found that he did like the taste of cakes and ketchup. Especially ketchup._

 _After a long pause, he nodded. Professor Oak heaved a sigh of relief._

* * *

Pikachu gave a light chuckle. "(I never _did_ get those cakes and ketchup...)" he said.

"(And the rest is history, right?)" Pachirisu asked.

"(Yep. I was only meant to stay in hiding until all the starters were gone, but then a fourth trainer came along.)"

"(Ash...)" Buneary said.

"(Yep... and he helped me realise that humans and pokémon _are_ worth trusting, after all.)"

Piplup, Pachirisu and Buizel all smiled at him. Buneary, however, was looking down with a solemn expression.

"(Buneary?)" He put a paw on her shoulder.

After a long pause, she looked up at him. "(... I'm sorry you had to go through all that,)" she said.

"(Hey, it's okay. Like I said, I'm happy now. I have Ash... my friends...)" He paused. "(And you.)"

She gave a light smile in response.

Suddenly, they heard someone stretching nearby. "Man, I'm beat!" Ash said.

"I guess it's about time we went to bed," Brock agreed.

"Yeah, it's pretty late..." Dawn agreed before yawning loudly. "Is everyone ready for bed?"

"(Yep!)" many voices called out.

"Alright then," Ash said. He pulled out his pokéballs. "Everyone, return!" Some of the pokémon disappeared in flashes of red light.

Brock pulled out his pokéballs. "Return!" he cried. A few more of the pokémon disappeared.

Dawn pulled out her pokéballs. "Return!" she cried. The rest of the pokémon started disappearing.

Buneary gave her boyfriend one last nuzzle. "(Goodnight, Pikachu...)" she said.

He nuzzled back, smiling. "(Goodnight, Buneary,)" he replied.

With a final smile, she disappeared in a flash of red light.


	11. Perceptions

Author's note: Hey, guys!

Whew, this one took me a while, for some reason. I don't know why. I started writing it when I was dying from my country's heatwave and only now do I get it finished.

Hope you enjoy it!

... Also, this fic wasn't meant to still be going by this point - and there's still quite a bit of story left to tell - but I hope nobody minds! This way, there's more fluff, right? Lol.

* * *

 **Chapter Eleven** **: Perceptions**

 _His heart beat erratically in his chest as he struggled against his restraints. They pinned him down, held him in place, kept him prisoner._

 _Above him swam the dark shapes of sinister figures. Who were they?! What did they want with him?!_

 _One approached, looming over him menacingly. Its ears were jagged and its face was cast in shadow. His heartbeat tripled and he tried desperately to wrench his arms free._

 _It was saying something to him, calling him something, as it reached towards him. He screeched in terror._

* * *

Pikachu opened his eyes with a start. Blinking several times, he looked down to see himself curled up on Ash's chest as it gently rose up and down. Lifting his head, he glanced around. Nearby, he could see Dawn and Brock, fast asleep in their own sleeping bags.

Sighing in relief, he lay his head back down.

That nightmare again. He had no idea why he had it so often. _Was_ there something bothering his conscience? _Was_ there something stressing him out? He wasn't really sure.

The nightmare seemed to change slightly each time, but, each time, he would hear a voice. One that was hard to understand. Hard to remember.

It had called him something. Kane? Jane? He wasn't really sure.

... Dreams were weird, he decided as he closed his eyes.

* * *

It had been a few days since the group had eaten marshmallows around the campfire and, now, Ash, Dawn and Brock had arrived at a quaint little town. Their first stop had, of course, been the Pokémon Centre.

"Thank you for waiting," Nurse Joy said with a smile, handing them back Pikachu and their pokéballs.

Brock immediately leaned over the counter, clasping her hand in both of his and surprising her. "For you, Nurse Joy, I would wait forever!" he cried. He posed dramatically. "I would wait until the sun goes supernova, turning the earth into a desolate planet of ice!" Croagunk suddenly appeared and gave his rear a quick Poison Jab. "Ack!" He slowly collapsed to the ground. "Or until I get Poison Jabbed..." Croagunk silently dragged him away.

Ash and Dawn laughed awkwardly at their friend as Pikachu jumped on Ash's shoulder.

"... Man, it's hot out today," Ash said. "I could really go for a nice, cold drink!"

"Yeah, I know what you mean!" Dawn agreed.

"Oh, well, in that case," Nurse Joy said, "can I make a recommendation?"

Dawn turned to her. "Hmm?"

"There's a lovely little café down the street from here that sells the most delicious smoothies. I can personally recommend the Tropical Paradise."

"Tropical Paradise, huh?" Ash asked with a smile.

Nurse Joy smiled back. "Yes. It's the perfect thing for quenching your thirst on a hot day."

"Wow!" Dawn said with a smile. "What's the name of this café?"

"It's called The Yato." Nurse Joy pointed to the left of her. "If you take a left and walk down a few stores, you can't miss it."

"Awesome!" Ash cried. "Let's go there!"

"(Yeah!)" Pikachu agreed.

"Alright, sure," said Brock, appearing and startling them all, "let's head there now."

* * *

After walking down a few stores, as suggested, they found the recommended café with no trouble at all. With its dark blue overhang, decorated with large silver letters that read _The Yato_ and a red silhouette of a salamence next to it, it was impossible to miss.

The group immediately sat down at an outside table in the sunshine and pulled out some drink menus.

Ash scanned one until his face lit up. "Ah, there it is!" he said. "The Tropical Paradise."

Dawn began to read out loud. "Orange, mango, pineapple and passion fruit. The perfect combination to set your taste buds ablaze with flavour." She stopped reading. "Wow, that sounds delicious!"

A young man with long grey hair - that was tied back into a purple ribbon with two small plaits - and dark eyes approached. The uniform he was wearing bore the same salamence silhouette as on the overhang.

"Hello there," he said. "May I take your order?"

"We'll take three Tropical Paradises, please," Brock replied.

"Four!" Ash said. "One for Pikachu."

"(Aww, thanks, Ash!)" Pikachu, who was standing on the table, said.

"Of course," the man replied, bowing slightly. "They'll be with you momentarily." He walked back into the café.

* * *

A short while later, the man returned, carrying a tray of orange-coloured drinks, each one with a slice of orange attached to the glass. He gracefully placed the tray on the table.

"There you are," he said. He bowed. "Enjoy your drinks."

"Thanks!" Ash replied.

"Yeah, thanks!" Dawn added.

Nodding, the man turned and left.

"Awesome," Ash said, putting the straws in the drinks and passing them out.

"(Sweet!)" Pikachu said, sucking on his straw.

Cold deliciousness hit his tongue. Sweet, tangy and fresh, with no hint of artificial flavourings. He couldn't help but sigh in contentment.

"Seems like Pikachu likes it," Brock said.

Ash sucked on his own straw. "Mmmmm!" he said. "Man, that tastes good!"

"I guess Nurse Joy was right!" Dawn said, also taking a drink.

"(Yep!)" Pikachu replied.

He took another sip of the delicious smoothie, glancing around him at the other customers as he did so. When he spotted the very obvious couple sitting at the nearby table, however, he couldn't help but pause.

He could see how they were looking at each other across their table. The way they were chatting and giggling. The way they were playfully nudging each other with their toes.

He smiled slightly, reminded of himself and his own girlfriend.

Suddenly, a young woman with peach-pink hair - which was tied into a high ponytail - icy blue eyes and a salamence uniform began, slowly and carefully, carrying a single Tropical Paradise over to the couple's table. The entire walk over, she was muttering to herself with wide eyes. When she finally put the drink down, she sighed in relief.

Standing up straighter, she smiled. "Enjoy your drink!" she said, handing them two straws. This puzzled Pikachu. "I'll be back with your food shortly!"

"Thanks," the boy at the table said.

Nodding, the woman turned and left. Brock, who would normally jump at the chance to flirt, not only had his back to her, but was too engrossed in a conversation to notice.

Pikachu blinked at the couple's drink, confused. Before he could question why there were two straws and only one drink, however, the boy placed both straws in the smoothie and pushed it into the middle of the table.

The girl giggled. "This is so cheesy!" she said.

The boy grinned. "You know you love it really."

"Well, yeah, but still."

He indicated the smoothie. "Well, go on."

The girl giggled again, leaning forward to drink from the straw that was facing her. When the boy moved forward to drink from the other straw, the girl beamed as bright as the sun.

Pikachu blinked at this. So, sharing a drink was a romantic gesture? The boy on the nearby table was doing it and his girlfriend seemed to be enjoying it.

He glanced at his own smoothie. If he did that, too, would Buneary enjoy it?

... Well, he _was_ always trying to find ways to be a better boyfriend, so would this help?

He glanced up at Dawn, who was happily drinking her own smoothie. When she caught his eye, she looked down and smiled.

"Hey, Pikachu," she said. "Enjoying your smoothie?"

"(Yeah, but...)" he replied. He indicated the smoothie. "(I wanted to... well, you know...)"

Dawn tilted her head. "Hmm?"

"(Um...)"

Realising there was no other way to explain, he lifted up his lower skin to look like fluff, tucked in his tail and made one of his ears flop over.

Dawn's eyes lit up in realisation. "Oh, I get it!" She smiled. "You want Buneary out here, right?"

Dropping the skin, loosening his tail and lifting up his ear, he smiled back, nodding. "(Yeah!)"

"Okay, then!" She took out a pokéball and opened it. "Come on out, Buneary!"

In a flash of white light, his girlfriend materialised onto the table. "(Hey there!)" she said.

Dawn smiled at her. "Hey, Buneary, wanna try some of this smoothie?" She indicated her own drink.

Pikachu panicked. "(Uh, no, no!)" he said, pushing his own drink forwards. "(Try some of mine!)" He paused. "(If you like.)"

There was silence as everybody stared at him.

Dawn blinked. "Huh?"

Brock smirked. "Oh, I think I know what's going on..." he said. Pikachu blushed in response. "Pikachu wants to share his smoothie with Buneary."

Buneary blinked. "(... You do?)" she asked.

"(W-Well...)" Pikachu replied.

Her eyes widened.

Dawn clapped her hands together. "Aww, how cute!" she cried. She pumped a fist. "Well, no need to worry, Pikachu, I'll go get you another straw." She stood up and walked inside the café.

"Yeah," Brock added, "and I'll help get you seated at another table. To make it more private, you know?"

Pikachu's blush deepened.

"... I don't get what the big deal is..." Ash said.

* * *

Pikachu stood across from Buneary on the table, watching his girlfriend happily drink from her straw. She looked so content with this new arrangement. Smiling, he mimicked her, drinking from his own straw.

This wasn't the first time he'd shared a drink with another pokémon. He used to do it with Misty's togepi all the time, back in the day, but that had been on a purely platonic level. Here, right now, he was sure it was meant to be a romantic gesture. Somehow, anyway. He wasn't really sure about the specifics.

Maybe it was how close they were standing while drinking it? Or how close it made them look as a couple? The fact that there was enough trust between them to share it in the first place? Or perhaps it was the sharing, itself? He wasn't sure.

Still, he wasn't complaining. This was almost like one of their dates. They were alone, on a table together, sharing a cold drink on a hot, sunny day. All around them was the hustle and bustle of the townsfolk, but, surprisingly, it wasn't all that busy. True, Ash, Dawn and Brock were sitting at a nearby table, but they were engrossed in their own conversations, so it still felt isolated and private.

"(So, nice smoothie, huh?)" he asked.

"(Yeah!)" Buneary replied. "(It's delicious!)"

"(Heh.)"

She smiled warmly at him. "(Thanks for sharing yours with me~)"

He smiled back, blushing slightly. "(N-No problem.)"

She giggled. "(Even if you _were_ really awkward about it.)"

His ears drooped slightly in embarrassment. "(H-Hey...)"

"(I kid~!)" She winked. "(It was cute, anyway.)"

He glanced away, but smiled in response.

As he glanced back, he saw her take a sip of the smoothie. "(Mmmm~!)" she said.

He mimicked her, also taking a sip. "(Mmmm...)"

"(I always wanted a date at a café. It has a sort of human charm to it.)"

"(Oh yeah?)"

"(Yeah! And sharing with you just makes it even better!)"

He chuckled in embarrassment, secretly very pleased with himself. "(Well, you know...)"

"Oh, how cute!" a voice suddenly said.

Surprised, Pikachu turned around to see the employee with peach-pink hair - who was carrying a tray with two toasted sandwiches on it - staring at him with a smile on her face.

"(Huh?)" he asked.

She smiled wider. "Are you two on a date?"

"(Uh...)" Pikachu nodded. "(Yeah.)"

"Oh, I knew it! You look so in love~!"

Pikachu's eyes bulged. "(Wh-What?!)" He quickly looked over at Buneary, but she was smiling at the woman, barely reacting to the comment.

"(Hee~!)" she said.

Pikachu slowly turned back again, his mind racing. Love...?

Brock suddenly appeared, kneeling in front of the woman and posing in a Shakespearean manner, one hand to the heart and one out in front of him.

"Not as in love as _I_ am with _you_!" he cried. The woman cried out in shock, almost dropping the tray she was holding. "My heart _burns_ for you... burns hotter than the _sun_... so serve me up some nice cold, refreshing love!"

Croagunk appeared beside him. He pulled back his hand, the tips of his fingers glowing purple.

"Oh, I'm... very sorry, sir!" The woman fumbled with the tray, trying her hardest not to drop it. "I-I'm very flattered, but... oh, gosh... but, but I have a boyfriend!"

Brock looked devastated. He made a few choked noises of horror before hanging his head in defeat.

The glow on Croagunk's fingers disappeared as he quietly put his hand down.

"Um..." the woman said, "a-anyway!" She stumbled over to the table with the couple sitting at it. "Here's your... Whoa! Your food..." She placed down the tray and nodded. "E-Enjoy!" She made her way back inside the cafe.

As Brock tried to piece together what was left of his dignity - and Ash and Dawn chuckled awkwardly at his failure - Pikachu turned back to his smoothie. He quietly took a sip, thinking.

Love. That woman had said they looked in love.

That was a bit extreme, wasn't it? Sure, he really, really liked Buneary, but love?

Then again, he'd said that same thing back when this whole thing had started, hadn't he? When Brock had spouted something about them being in the 'springtime of their youth'.

Back then, though, he hadn't known how he'd felt about Buneary. He'd just been testing the waters to see if he _could_ feel anything.

Things were different now. A lot had changed in the past couple of weeks and he now knew _exactly_ how he felt about her.

Still, though... love?

... Wait, now that he thought about it, why had Buneary not really reacted to the woman's comment? Had she not heard it? Or registered it? Or had it just not bothered her? Maybe she'd thought it was silly. Or amusing. Or maybe she'd thought nothing about it at all.

Or, maybe...

Suddenly, a loud crash resounded from inside the café. Jumping out of his skin, he whirled his head around to take a look. He couldn't really see anything from out here, but the crash was soon followed by disappointed wails.

"Oh, I was doing so well!" the voice of the female employee rang out.

"For legends' sake, woman!" the voice of the male employee snapped. "Do I need to re-educate you on the proper way to carry a tray?!"

"I'm so sorry!"

"If you're not careful, our boss will dock your pay again!"

"Ohhh, I can't do anything right!"

The male employee heaved a sigh. "Here, let me help you up. This looks bad in front of the customers..."

There was the sound of a sniffle. "Thanks..."

"... Huh," Ash said. "Better check if she's alright." Pushing back his chair, he stood up and hurried inside.

From the corner of his vision, Pikachu saw Dawn and Brock glance at one another.

Blinking at the odd event, he turned his head back to Buneary, who was looking back at him, wide-eyed and equally surprised.

After a moment of staring at each other, they both started giggling. Both at the weird situation and the amusing looks on each other's faces.

Relaxing once more, they went back to drinking their smoothie, smiling happily.


	12. Conflictions

Author's note: Hey, guys! Another chappie for you fine folks!

... By the way, in my one-shot collection, I mentioned a thing in the works. I'd say it's progressing nicely. It should be fun eventually revealing that.

In the meantime, hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter Twelve** **: Conflictions**

Ash, Dawn and Brock continued down the path to their next town, chatting animatedly about contests and gym battles. The air was bursting with optimism as Ash and Dawn discussed various techniques they couldn't wait to practice later.

After a while, though, the conversation simmered out into a comfortable silence, the only sound being the footfalls of the humans' shoes on the dirt road. It was at this point that Pikachu - who was riding on Ash's shoulder - was left alone with his thoughts.

As he took this time to appreciate the silence and the lovely greenery around him, his mind couldn't help but wander back to what that café employee had said earlier.

'You look so in love' she'd said.

... Why had she said that?

He looked ahead, at the winding dirt road that the humans were traversing, as he thought about this. Perhaps the woman had just interpreted the situation wrong. Sure, he and Buneary were dating - and he liked his girlfriend very much - but to say they were in love was a bit much. After all, they'd only been dating for a couple of weeks, so how could it be love?

... Then again, he'd never felt this way about a pokémon before. He had literally no experience in the matter, so how would _he_ know? Maybe it was.

... No, surely not. Surely, it would feel different than a crush. Surely, he'd be able to tell.

Then again, just what _was_ love, anyway? How did a person - or a pokémon - identify it? Did you just know? Did you suddenly decide upon it one day? Maybe you needed someone to tell you?

... Did it even exist? If so, what did it feel like?

Urgh, this was all far too confusing. He'd been so certain that he'd gotten his feelings in order - so certain that he'd figured everything out - but now the whole thing had been flipped on its head again. Now he was questioning everything again.

... Why did relationships have to be so hard?

* * *

Later on that day, the humans and pokémon were working together to set up camp. While some worked on setting up the table and others worked on placing the food bowls, Pikachu was helping Buizel make a campfire.

As he carefully placed some rocks in a circle, he couldn't help but glance around him curiously. When his eyes landed on Buneary - who was walking on the table, setting up plates and cutlery - he paused, remembering his thoughts from earlier.

Just how _did_ he feel about Buneary?

After a moment, the rabbit in question looked up, locking gazes with him across the campsite. She blinked once, then beamed and waved at him.

The mere sight caused a burst of fire to erupt inside his chest. Blushing slightly, he smiled and waved back.

Apparently satisfied, Buneary went back to setting up the dinner table.

... Was _that_ what it felt like? He still couldn't be sure. Since he'd never experienced a crush before, there was no way he could possibly know what love felt like. He glanced around aimlessly as he tried to think of a solution, until his eyes landed on Buizel.

Hmm. Maybe it would be best if he asked about this.

He edged closer to the weasel, who was arranging the firewood into a neat pile, and cleared his throat. Buizel looked up at him curiously.

"(Hmm?)" he asked. "(Something wrong, Pikachu?)"

"(Uh, well...)" Pikachu replied, moving a rock into position around the firewood, "(I was just wondering something.)"

"(Oh yeah?)"

"(Yeah.)"

"(... So, what is it?)"

Pikachu jolted. "(Oh! Right, sorry! Well, um... so, when you start feeling... something more than 'like', how do you know?)"

Buizel stared at him. After a moment, he smirked. "(Sorry, can you run that one by me again?)"

Pikachu blushed again. "(S-Sorry...)" He paused a moment to collect his thoughts. "(So, uh... you've had a crush before, right?)"

"(Yeah.)"

"(Yeah. So, uh... how do you know when it's _not_ that?)"

Buizel kept the smirk, though he looked confused. "(... Huh?)"

"(Uh, I mean...)" Darn it. His speech always got more messed up when he was flustered. "(How do you know when it's _more_ than that?)"

Buizel blinked at him, the smirk falling away. "(What, you mean, like...?)"

"(Yeah. How do you know when it's...)" Pikachu quickly glanced in Buneary's direction. She didn't seem to be paying attention, but he lowered his voice, regardless. "(Love?)"

"(... Huh.)" Buizel fully turned to face him, crossing his arms over his chest. "(What, you think you're...)" He paused, also lowering his voice, "(in love with Buneary, or something?)"

Pikachu blushed harder. "(Well... I dunno. That's why I wanna know what it's like.)

"(... Well, like I said, I've only had that one crush.)" Buizel shrugged, his arms still crossed. "(I wouldn't be able to tell you what love is like.)"

Pikachu's ears dipped slightly. "(Aww, really?)"

"(Yeah, sorry. Do _you_ think it's love?)"

"(I have no idea... Is there anyone else who can help?)"

"(I doubt it. Piplup liked that one marill, sure, but I don't think it was love.)"

"(Why's that?)"

"(Well, he got over her fairly quick and I... don't _think_ that's how it works...)"

"(Oh...)"

Buizel paused for thought. "(Hmm... and Brock's _always_ saying he's in love, but you can never really tell with that guy.)"

"(Hmm. Yeah, I guess so...)"

"(So I dunno what to tell ya. I guess you'll have to figure it out yourself.)"

"(Oh... well...)" Pikachu glanced back over at Buneary, who was chatting and laughing with Pachirisu, before looking back at Buizel. "(Thanks anyway, Buizel.)"

"(No problem. Sorry I couldn't be more help.)"

"(Nah, that's alright.)"

"Alright, guys!" Ash said excitedly. "Now that everything's set up, it's time to do some training!"

Unfolding his arms, Buizel pumped a fist, looking determined. "(Alright!)" he said. "(My favourite time of the day!)"

Pikachu gave his friend an exasperated smile. Ash had certainly made the right choice when he'd traded Aipom for Buizel, way back before Ambipom had left. They were like two peas in a pod.

* * *

As Pikachu settled down to eat his pellets, he noticed another bowl being shoved up against his. This wasn't unusual, yet it still made his heart thump in his chest nervously. After a few moments, he felt something warm and fluffy nuzzle up against him.

"(Hey, Pikachu~)" Buneary said happily.

"(H-Hey, Buneary,)" he replied, trying to hide his nervousness as he nuzzled back.

"(Hee~)" Picking up a pellet, she quietly began to nibble on it.

Picking up his own pellet, he nibbled on it, admiring today's taste. It had hints of spice with a strange herby flavouring. It was quite nice.

After a few moments of chewing it, his mind was brought back to his conversation with Buizel. Unable to help himself, he glanced sideways at his girlfriend.

Her large brown eyes sparkled as she ate the pellet, small noises of contentment escaping her mouth.

His heart began doing the weird somersaults again, so he quickly turned away and thought of something for them to talk about.

... Well, he supposed he _could_ ask her the same thing he'd asked Buizel - what it felt like to be in love - but no. That was _far_ too embarrassing. Besides, what would she even think if he asked a question like that?!

His insides squirmed like a tangela was trapped in there. How incredibly awkward. Not only was it a ridiculously strong word to throw around, they weren't exactly in a secluded area, so everyone would likely overhear him.

Oh, legends, he could already picture her dropping her pellet in shock, holding the pose for several seconds, then yanking up her fluff to hide her face.

... No. No, he absolutely was _not_ going to ask that.

"(... So!)" he said. "(Looking forward to practice later?)"

She beamed at him. "(Oh, certainly! I can't wait to try some new tricks with my Ice Beam!)"

He smiled back. "(Should be fun.)"

* * *

Later that night, once all the pokémon had been put away and the humans were tucked into their sleeping bags, Pikachu lay awake, staring into the darkness.

Over and over again, he couldn't help wonder about this 'love' thing. What was it? What did it feel like? Was it important to feel it? Suddenly, he began to feel anxious. Would he be a bad boyfriend if he _didn't_ feel it?

Rolling over on the grass, he gazed forlornly at Dawn's small yellow bag. Inside lay the pokéball of his girlfriend. Did he love her? _Could_ he love her? He couldn't really be sure.

It probably wouldn't be fair to say he did love her, when even _he_ wasn't sure...

Rolling onto his back, he stared up at the sky above. He managed to distract himself when he noticed how cloudy it was tonight. He couldn't see a single star in the sky for cloud. Huh. How about that.

Closing his eyes, he sighed as his thoughts returned to Buneary. Just what was he to do?

* * *

 _He tilted his head back, admiring the cloudy, starless sky above him. It was a lovely night out._

 _Suddenly, he felt a paw cover his own. Pleasantly surprised at the sudden warmth, he turned to smile at the creature beside him._

 _The creature, with its long ears, brown fur and cream fluff, smiled back at him._

 _The two of them remained in comfortable silence for a while, enjoying each other's company under the night sky._

 _After a while, however, the clouds began to part and a beam of moonlight shone down onto the grassy plain, bathing the pokémon in its glow._

 _He now had a clear view of the creature holding his paw. Still smiling at him, the eevee opened its mouth to say something._

* * *

Pikachu blinked awake. He blinked again, trying to register the dream he'd just had. Once he did, he stared in shock at the sky above him. Why had he dreamt about an eevee?!

Sure, he'd seen plenty of eevee in his life, but why would he suddenly dream about one in such a romantic light?! When he had a girlfriend, too?!

... Oh, legends, did this count as cheating?! He had no desire to do that, but, if his dream self was doing it, did that mean _he_ was capable of doing it, too?! Did it mean he had the thought in the back of his mind somewhere?!

No. No. He wasn't his dream self. He'd never do anything to hurt Buneary. He knew that. He and dream Pikachu were two different beings.

In fact, it was quite like the time his dream self had watched Ash fall off a building, with no one down below to save him, and laughed in sadistic joy. He'd needed to be comforted when he'd woken up, as he'd never do such a thing in the real world.

The mind could be a strange thing, sometimes...

Speaking of which, he had to wonder again about that eevee. He couldn't recall ever crushing on one, so why would he dream of one, instead of his actual girlfriend? He was pretty sure his dream self had known the eevee's name, too, though it was escaping him at the moment. Reese, or something.

He heaved a sigh and rolled over, once again glancing at Dawn's small yellow bag before closing his eyes.

* * *

The following morning, Pikachu yawned as Brock set out the food bowls. He wasn't completely exhausted, but it'd certainly take him a while to wake up properly. He smiled gratefully as a bowl was placed in front of him.

Nearby, Ash slumped across the table. "Broooock..." he complained, "when's breakfast ready?"

"In a few minutes, Ash," Brock replied.

"But I'm gonna starve to death if I don't eat soon!"

Dawn threw him a light smirk. "Don't be such a drama queen, Ash," she said.

He threw a light frown back at her. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

"You're not Piplup, ya know."

"(Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!)" Piplup cried.

She smiled apologetically at the penguin. "No offense, Piplup."

He folded his arms and turned away. "(Hmph!)"

Brock could only chuckle at the shenanigans.

"(Morning, Pikachu~)" Buneary said, setting her bowl next to Pikachu's.

He turned to her. When he saw her adorable brown face smiling at him, all he could see in his mind's eye was the face of an eevee. Immediately, he began to recall last night's thoughts of whether or not he actually _could_ love her, all while imagining the eevee smiling at him, instead. He began to feel awkward.

"(Oh, uh... hi,)" he replied. He suddenly realised his lacklustre response. "(... Morning, Buneary.)"

She gave him a quick nuzzle. "(You seem tired.)"

A part of him didn't feel like he deserved to nuzzle her back, but he did it anyway. "(... A little.)"

"(Aww. Well, I'm sure you'll perk up later!)"

"(Yeah...)"

He turned away to pick up a pellet and began to slowly nibble on it, his mind swimming. After a few moments, a nagging feeling forced him to glance back over at her again. She was smiling and nibbling obliviously on a pellet, which caused his gut to twist into guilty knots.

She had no idea at all about what thoughts had been plaguing his mind. She had no idea that he'd fretted over how he really felt. That he'd even asked Buizel for help.

... That he'd dreamt about dating someone else.

He shook his head. No. He'd been over this. His dream self was someone entirely different. His mind worked in a different way.

... So why was he feeling so guilty over it?

Well, he supposed that, if he couldn't figure out his feelings and he was dreaming about some random eevee, he probably _didn't_ love her, after all. At least not yet. His ears drooped slightly at the thought.

"(... Hey, something wrong, Pikachu?)" Buneary asked.

He jolted. "(Huh?!)" Turning quickly, he smiled at her. "(Oh! No, it's nothing!)"

She gave him a concerned look. "(Are you sure?)"

"(Yep! Man, these pellets are nice, huh?)" He nervously shoved the rest of it into his mouth and chewed.

She continued to give him that concerned gaze.

Anxious, he tried to think of something else to say. "(... Dey cuh rearry do wiv some keshup, dough.)"

She gave him a small smile of amusement.

Swallowing the pellet down, he smiled sheepishly and picked up another pellet.

"(... So, you're sure you're okay?)"

"(... Yeah. I'll be fine.)"

For his own sake, he really hoped that was the case.


	13. Distractions

Author's note: Hey, guys! Lucky chapter 13, coming your way!

... Just to clarify, any similarities you find between my fics and VGS2's fics are probably a result of us constantly getting inspiration from each other. XD We're quite close, you see, so yeah. Lol.

Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter!

And remember: reviews are like Scooby snacks. They're tasty and spur people on to be bait for the monst- I mean write more chapters.

* * *

 **Chapter Thirteen** **: Distractions**

Finally, after all the humans and pokémon had put away their tableware, Ash pumped a fist in determination.

"Alright, now it's time to do some training!" he cried.

"(Yeah!)" all the pokémon on his team replied. The only exception was Pikachu, who was still a little lost in thought.

"Me too!" Dawn said. "I wanna practice for my next contest!"

"Why don't you practice together then?" Brock suggested with a smile.

"Alright then!" Dawn swung out an arm dramatically. "Buneary, spooootlight!"

With a cry of delight, Buneary hopped in front of her trainer. "(Ready for action!)" she replied.

"Using Buneary, huh?" Ash asked in amusement. "Alright then. Go, Pikachu!"

Pikachu's head jolted upwards, his eyes widening as he realised what had been said. Glancing over at Buneary, he could see that her eyes were wide, too. Ash wanted _him_ to battle? Against Buneary? Normally, he'd be only too happy to battle, but against his own girlfriend?!

"Uh, Ash?" Dawn asked. "Is that such a good idea?"

"Huh? Why wouldn't it be?"

Was this a kosher thing to do? Battling your own girlfriend? It seemed like something pokémon shouldn't do, but he wasn't sure. Would it make him a bad boyfriend if he hurt her?

"Well, because they're dating!"

"... Huh?"

In fact, had he ever actually battled her before? He cast his mind back, trying to remember.

Well, there had been that one double appeal battle with Aipom and Buizel. He'd partnered up with Aipom and Buneary had partnered up with Buizel, back before Buizel had been traded over to Ash and Ambipom had left them for ping pong.

The only time he'd actually hit Buneary in that appeal battle, though, had been when Ash had told him to use Thunderbolt on the ground. The debris that had been kicked up had been used as a distraction while Aipom had used Focus Punch. Other than that, though, he'd never actually battled her...

Brock suddenly clenched a fist. "Ash, you can't interfere in matters of the heart!" he cried. "Why, if I had to hurt either Nurse Joy or Officer Jenny, I'd never live with myself!"

"... But Brock, it's just a pokémon battle."

Dawn heaved a sigh. "You can't just ask Pikachu to beat up his girlfriend, Ash..." she said.

"... Then what am I _supposed_ to do?"

Lost and confused, Pikachu looked over at Buneary. He doubted she'd want him to battle her. Perhaps she'd prefer to battle one of his teammates, instead? Maybe Buizel. She probably didn't have any issues with battling _him_.

His girlfriend's gaze locked with his. She stared at him for a long moment. He blinked at her, fishing for some kind of reaction. She blinked back, apparently doing the same.

Eventually, she smiled. "(Well, I'm game if _you_ are!)" she said.

His eyes widened. She actually _wanted_ to battle him? Really?

"... Buneary?" Dawn asked curiously.

"(Really?)" Pikachu asked.

"(Yeah! It'll be fun!)" Buneary replied. She winked at him. "(Right?)"

He blinked back at her in thought.

"Oh, hey!" Ash said. "It looks like she wants to battle him after all!" He turned to Pikachu. "Whaddaya say, buddy?"

Pikachu looked up at Ash, then back down at Buneary. Both of them were now wearing confident, determined smiles. Well, if they were both okay with it, he didn't suppose there was much of an issue.

Giving a determined smile of his own, he pumped a fist. "(Alright, let's go!)" he replied.

"Alright then!" Ash said. He swung out an arm dramatically. "Go, Pikachu!"

"(Right!)" He jumped in front of his trainer, landing on all fours.

Buneary flashed him a happy smile, then went back to looking determined. "(You better not go easy on me!)" she said.

He paused for a second. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't considered it. She was his girlfriend, after all, and he'd really hate to hurt her. However, pokémon were proud creatures. Battles tested their strength, speed and durability. It was disrespectful to go easy on one another.

... She was fairly strong, though, so she could probably handle it well enough.

He nodded. "(Alright, I won't! And the same goes for you!)"

"(I wouldn't dream of it, sweetie!)"

He blushed. Oh, good lord, she was giving him nicknames now?

"Well," Brock said, "if the lovebirds have no problem with this..." He clenched a fist dramatically. "Then who am I to intervene?!" He immediately calmed down, raising an arm into the air. "This will be a one-on-one battle between Pikachu and Buneary. Is everyone ready?"

"Ready!" Ash replied.

"Ready!" Dawn replied.

"(Ready!)" Pikachu and Buneary both replied at once.

"Alright then," Brock said. He swung down his arm. "Begin!"

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" Ash called out.

Sending power to his tail, Pikachu charged forwards, determined not to let his girlfriend down. It would be weird hitting her, but he'd made a promise. Only a bad boyfriend would fail to keep that promise.

"Buneary, dodge it with Bounce!" Dawn called out.

As Pikachu got close, he swung his tail around, but Buneary jumped out of the way. A moment later, something slammed into his back, knocking him to the ground with a yelp.

... His girlfriend had just used him as a springboard, hadn't she?

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

Getting to his feet, Pikachu charged up electricity in his cheeks, then unleashed it towards the sky where Buneary was.

"Buneary, Ice Beam!"

Pikachu suddenly felt a pressure pushing against his Thunderbolt. Increasing the voltage, he pushed back. It was a desperate struggle, with neither side giving an inch. Eventually, the two attacks exploded, the blast making him slide backwards across the grass. Squinting, he noticed Buneary land on the ground opposite him.

"Pikachu, Quick Attack!"

Sending power to his legs, Pikachu dashed forwards at lightning speed. Being too fast for Buneary to react, he hit her square in the chest. She recoiled in pain.

Dawn made a noise of surprise, but she soon recovered. "Buneary, use Dizzy Punch!"

The fluffy tips of Buneary's ears immediately glowed a rainbow-tinted white. She leapt at him.

"Pikachu, dodge it!"

Pikachu tried to dodge, but Buneary was far too close. The ear tips smacked into him, one after the other. He shrieked at each hit. It was like she was wearing a pair of boxing gloves on her ears!

Suddenly, after the fifth hit, the world around him began to spin. Which way was up? Which was down? What even _was_ down?

"Oh no, Pikachu!"

Was that Ash? He wasn't sure. It sounded like Ash. Heh, his trainer had a funny name.

"Come on, Buneary, break free!"

Break free from what? Was someone holding her? Well, he couldn't be having that! He had to be a good girlfriend... boyfriend... whatever he was and rescue her!

He stood on his two feet, wobbling slightly, then began walking towards where he could see her. The world spun around him with every step he took. Man, that was annoying. He wished the world... planet... thing would cut it out.

"Pikachu, snap out of it!"

Snap out of what?

He blinked. Then blinked again. Suddenly, the world wasn't spinning anymore. He turned to Buneary and was surprised to see that she was frozen in place, sparking slightly. She seemed to be trying very hard to move.

Ah. Static. She must have confused him with Dizzy Punch, but gotten affected by his ability at the same time.

After a few moments of struggling, she threw her arms out, the sparks flying off her fur. They twinkled slightly as they hit the ground.

"Alright!" Ash cried. "Now, use Thunderbolt!"

Nodding in response, he built up electricity in his cheeks, then launched it towards Buneary.

"Time to experiment!" Dawn cried. "Buneary, Dizzy Punch again!"

Dizzy Punch? Against his Thunderbolt? How could that possibly work out well?

He watched as the stream of electricity flew towards his girlfriend, who was readying herself, her ear tips glowing again. Once it was close enough, she swung out her ears in a punching motion and punched the electricity away.

His mouth flew open as the punches continued. She was actually punching away his electricity! How the heck was she doing that?!

"Great job, Buneary! Keep it up!"

Nodding, Buneary began to run towards him, still making punching motions. The redirected electricity was flying everywhere, except towards its intended target. In fact, he could swear he heard a scream from Piplup nearby.

"Pikachu, dodge it!"

Pikachu blinked. It was a good job Ash had said that, as he'd been too entranced to think about it. Acting quickly, he cut his electricity and jumped sideways. Buneary's ears hit the ground where he'd just been standing.

"Now use Iron Tail!"

Sending power to his tail, he launched himself forwards, swinging towards Buneary. It hit her in the stomach, causing her to shriek in pain.

"Buneary, grab it!"

Reaching out her ears, Buneary grabbed hold of his tail. His eyes widened in surprise.

"Great! Now spin!"

Spin?

Suddenly, Buneary began to spin on the spot, lifting him off the floor. He shrieked as he spun in dizzying circles around her.

"Pikachu!"

"Alright aaaand... release!"

Uh oh. The second the command was given, Buneary let go. Screaming, Pikachu went flying into the air.

"Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!"

Righting himself in mid-air, Pikachu charged up some electricity in his cheeks, then fired it towards the ground.

"Buneary, Ice Beam!"

Buneary charged a ball of blue energy, then fired it as a beam of light. It apparently hit his Thunderbolt at just the right angle, as ice began to form all the way along it. Straight towards him.

He only managed to get out a yelp before he was frozen in a block of ice.

"Pikachu!"

Though he couldn't move, he could still see his girlfriend forming a base underneath him, to keep the ice structure from collapsing.

"Buneary, Bounce!"

Done with her task, Buneary bounced high into the air in his direction. The moment he lost sight of her, he felt something land on top of the ice block with a thunk. The pressure caused a crack to form on the side that was holding him up. Oh no.

He was helpless to his fate as the ice block tumbled to the ground, him screaming the best he could inside it. It landed sideways, giving him a nice view of Buneary sliding down his frozen Thunderbolt like she was rail-grinding.

"Pikachu! Come on, you gotta break free!"

He wiggled. Then wiggled some more. The ice wasn't budging at all.

"Try a Thunderbolt!"

... Well, it was worth a shot. Building up electricity in his cheeks, he tried his best to fire it. It was difficult in the closed space.

In fact, the ice block was glowing a lovely yellow colour from all the sparks. He was sure that would have given him at least a few points in a contest, but it was irrelevant here.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he increased the voltage. When that didn't seem to work, he increased it even further. Eventually, he could hear cracks starting to form in the ice. Increasing it one last time, he was able to smash open the ice, shards of it flying everywhere. He could swear he heard a second scream from Piplup.

"(Wow!)" Buneary said. "(Nice job getting out!)"

Pikachu heaved himself to his feet, sighing in relief. "(Thanks,)" he replied.

She smiled warmly at him. "(For a second there, I thought I had ya... but you're too cool for that.)"

"(Heh. Hardly. I got lucky.)"

"Buneary, use Dizzy Punch!" Dawn cried.

Her ear tips glowing again, Buneary leapt towards him.

"Pikachu, dodge!" Ash cried.

Fast on his feet, Pikachu jumped out of the way.

"Now use Thunderbolt!"

Immediately as he landed, he charged up electricity in his cheeks and fired it at Buneary. Before Dawn could give a command to either counter or dodge, the attack struck, electrocuting her. She screamed in pain.

"Yeah! Way to go, Pikachu!"

"Buneary!" After a moment, Dawn recovered. "Give yourself some distance with Bounce!"

Flinching slightly, Buneary bounced high, then slammed back into the ground, kicking dirt into Pikachu's face. He cried out as he was momentarily blinded.

Spitting out dirt and brushing down his face, he blinked, trying to be able to see again. Once his vision returned, he noticed his girlfriend some distance away.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt again!"

"Buneary, Ice Beam!"

Building up their respective attacks, they fired them at one another. They violently clashed together, the electricity and icy blast both struggling for dominance.

Pikachu felt himself getting worn down. After taking so many hits, he wasn't sure how much more he could take. Looking over at Buneary, however, she didn't seem to be faring any better.

"More power, Pikachu!"

Pikachu increased the voltage, slowly pushing back the Ice Beam.

"You too, Buneary!"

Buneary did the same, trying hard to keep away his Thunderbolt. After an immense struggle, there was another small explosion. Since it was much closer to Buneary, it blew her backwards. Pikachu covered his eyes from the blast.

When he opened them again, he saw Buneary struggling to her feet.

"No! Buneary!"

Wow, he'd really injured her, hadn't he? Well, hopefully, the battle would be over soon, though he couldn't deny that it'd been a lot of fun.

As his girlfriend got back on her feet, he couldn't help but notice that bits of dirt were now coating her, muddying her natural colours. Her lovely brown fur and pretty cream-coloured fluff looked splotchy and dirty.

... Wait. Brown fur. Cream-coloured fluff.

"Alright, time to finish this! Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!"

In a sudden daze, Pikachu got on all fours. He barely registered what he was doing as he sent power to his legs, then dashed at a lightning speed towards Buneary. As he ran, electricity began to build around him, until it completely surrounded him.

"Oh no! Buneary, dodge it!"

As he watched Buneary fail to move, due to wincing, he couldn't help but remember the dream again. The dream about the eevee. A hollow feeling began to worm its way around his heart, eating away at him.

The battle had distracted him from it for a while, but, now, his guilt was back with a vengeance.

The closer he ran to Buneary, the more he began to see the eevee from his dream. As she looked up at him, her fearful gaze meeting his, he faltered.

Immediately, he lost his footing. With a yelp, he landed on his stomach, but the momentum from his Volt Tackle kept going. He slid painfully across the ground, kicking up dirt and grass as he went.

"Pikachu!"

Eventually, after creating a small trench in the ground, he came to a stop. He lay there for a few moments, still dazed.

"(Pikachu!)" Buneary cried, hopping over. "(Are you okay?!)"

He groaned, too tired to respond.

There were gasps from the humans, followed by a long stretch of silence.

"... Pikachu is unable to battle!" Brock called out. "Buneary is the winner!"

"(Are you alright?)" Buneary asked quietly.

"(... Yeah...)" Pikachu replied.

Suddenly, he could hear hurried footsteps coming towards him. When they stopped, the person knelt down and scooped him into their arms. He looked up into the face of Ash.

His trainer smiled concernedly. "Hey, buddy," he said. "You alright?"

"(Yeah...)"

"You did great out there! Now, you sit on the sidelines and take a nice rest."

"(Okay, thanks...)"

Placing him in a sitting position, Ash stood up and walked back over to Dawn and Brock.

"(... What happened out there, Pikachu?)" Buneary asked, sitting next to him.

Still tired, Pikachu stared solemnly at the ground.

"(... Are... Are you upset that you lost?)" She paused a moment. "(Well, n-no need to worry, right? It was just one little slip-up! If that Volt Tackle had hit me, I'd be brown bread!)"

Pikachu barely registered Monferno melting the nearby ice structure with Flamethrower as he turned to Buneary.

"(That's... not it.)"

She blinked. "(It's not?)"

He looked down at the grass. "(No...)

"(Oh.)" She paused. "(Then what is it?)"

"(... My... my dream... with the thing... and the... yeah...)"

"(... Um... sorry, what?)"

"(Sorry...)" He paused a moment to gather his thoughts. "(I had a dream... It was night-time and... I was holding someone's paw...)" He turned his attention away in shame. "( _I_ was smiling... _she_ was smiling... We were really happy... I even think she had a name...)" He forced himself to look at Buneary. "(But-)" He paused when he noticed her wide-eyed expression. "(Um... Buneary?)"

She quickly shook her head. "(Uh, yeah?)"

"(Are you okay?)"

"(Yeah. Carry on.)"

"(... Uh, sure. Anyway... I'm really sorry, Buneary. I thought it was you, at first... but then it turned out to be an eevee. I... I feel like I cheated on you.)"

"(... Oh. Is... that what distracted you during the battle?)"

"(Yeah...)"

"(... Well... don't worry about it!)" She forced on a smile. "(It was just a dream, right? It's not like you'd... actually do that for real!)"

"(N-No, of course not.)"

"(Then it's fine! No need to worry!)"

"(Well... if you say so...)"

"(Yeah, I do!)"

Still unsure, Pikachu turned to look over at Piplup and Buizel, who were giving each other some friendly trash talk. Probably because they were set to battle next. Buizel was smirking with his arms crossed and Piplup was puffing himself up, while smacking a flipper to his chest.

After a while of watching them, Pikachu glanced back at his girlfriend, who was staring off into the distance, a faraway look in her eyes.

Was she upset that he'd cheated on her in a dream? She'd said it meant nothing, but he wasn't so sure. Especially with the way she was acting right now. Maybe it had been a bad idea to tell her, after all...

... Either way, he hoped he never had that stupid dream again. So far, it had caused him nothing but problems, with him getting distracted and Buneary looking troubled. It was putting his relationship at slight risk and he couldn't bear the thought of that.

Not wanting to dwell on the matter anymore, he turned away with a sigh, ready to watch the next battle.

Perhaps watching Buizel and Piplup practice would cheer them both up.


	14. Sentiments

Author's note: Well, hi!

This chapter's an odd one, for sure. Haha. Bet you can't guess what games I've been playing/watching lately. XP

Either way, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter Fourteen** **: Sentiments**

It had been around a week since Pikachu's battle with Buneary. Since then, a lot had happened. Team Galactic had captured the lake trio, in an attempt to control Palkia and Dialga, but they had been stopped and Cyrus had disappeared through a portal.

As exciting as all that had been, though, it had meant less time for Pikachu to spend with his girlfriend. He wanted to make up for that, somehow, especially after the whole incident with his eevee dream. Thankfully, he hadn't had another one of those since.

He paused in thought. Just how long _had_ he and Buneary been dating now, anyway?

His mind raced backwards, counting the weeks. The moment he figured out the answer, his eyes widened. They'd been dating for a month already!

Wow. That was the longest he'd ever dated _anyone_. Well, of course it was, since he'd never dated at all before, but still. For it to have lasted a month, that was rather special, wasn't it? He smiled to himself.

"Man, I'm beat!" Ash said, slumping onto his back on the Pokémon Centre's couch.

"Yeah, me too!" Dawn agreed, sitting next to him. "Maybe we should take a break from training today."

Ash looked at her upside-down, horrified. "Aww, but Dawn!"

"She's right, Ash," Brock agreed with a smile. "You need to rest every now and then, or you'll burn yourself out."

"Awwww..."

"No need to worry, though!" Dawn added. "We'll train extra hard tomorrow, to make up for it!"

"Alright..."

Brock flipped open a magazine. "Since we have plenty of time before bed," he said, "how about we watch a movie, instead?"

"A movie?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah. There's a pretty good one on soon that I've been wanting to watch."

"Ha," Ash replied, still looking at them upside-down, "it's been a while since I watched a movie."

"I think you two will like this one."

"Awesome!" Dawn replied. "Let's go see it, then!"

A movie, huh? This should be interesting.

* * *

The four of them sat on a different couch in the adjacent room, a decent-sized television in front of them. As Brock flipped through the channels and Ash and Dawn shared a large tub of popcorn, Pikachu thought back to his girlfriend.

It would be nice if he could celebrate their one-month anniversary somehow. How, though? He was about to watch a movie with the humans, so it certainly couldn't be tonight.

... Or could it?

They wouldn't be alone, so it wouldn't be a _proper_ date, but perhaps they could still make a date out of it anyway?

He turned to Dawn, waving his arms animatedly. "(Hey!)" he cried. "(Dawn!)"

"Hmm?" Dawn asked, looking down at him curiously. "What's wrong, Pikachu?"

He put his paws to his chest and put on his most pleading face. "(Can you let Buneary out to watch the movie?)"

"Hmm..."

Brock chuckled. "I think he wants Buneary to watch the movie with us," he said.

"Really?" Dawn beamed. "You want your girlfriend to watch it with you?"

Pikachu blushed lightly, but nodded.

Dawn giggled. "How cute. Well, alright then!" She grabbed Buneary's pokéball and pressed the button to enlarge it. Then she clicked it open. "Come on out, Buneary!"

In a flash of white light, the brown rabbit emerged on the couch, next to Pikachu.

"(Hey!)" she said happily.

"(Hey,)" Pikachu replied. "(We're about to watch a movie. You wanna watch it with us?)"

"(Yeah, sure!)"

Suddenly, there was another flash of white light. Piplup emerged on the couch on Dawn's other side, puffing out his cheeks angrily.

"(Heyyy!)" he cried, dancing around. "(I wanna watch the movie, toooo!)"

Dawn laughed. "Alright, Piplup, settle down," she said. "You can watch the movie, too."

He huffed, placing his flippers on his hips and raising his beak into the air. "(Darn straight I can.)"

"Alright, everyone," Brock said, placing down the remote, "the movie's about to start."

"(Oh, cool!)" Buneary replied, sitting down next to Pikachu.

After a moment, she nuzzled into his side. He felt a warm sense of contentment and nuzzled back.

"Sho, whazis movie abou', anyweh, Bruck?" Ash asked around a mouthful of popcorn.

"Close your mouth when you eat, you slob," Dawn chided, prodding Ash in the side.

"It's a fantasy that's apparently really good at pulling on your heartstrings," Brock replied.

"It sounds great!"

"Yuh," Ash replied, swallowing the popcorn, "it sounds pretty cool."

Everyone suddenly fell silent in anticipation as the title of the movie appeared on-screen: _Determination_.

* * *

The movie started off fairly ordinary, with a young human boy named Nick getting his first pokémon - a female clefairy - and setting off on an adventure with her. Once he fell through a portal into another dimension, however, things began to get strange.

There, Nick encountered some creatures similar to pokémon, except their designs were much more bizarre and otherworldly. Both he and Clefairy were a little overwhelmed at first, as they wandered about the land, pondering how they would get back home.

As they wandered, they discovered that these creatures weren't pokémon at all. They were strange entities known as yo-kai. They could speak perfect English and seemed to be a bit obsessed with playing games.

That was when it happened.

One of the yo-kai - a large cicada - suddenly ambushed the duo. He swung his samurai sword at Nick's head, only missing because Nick barely managed to dodge out of the way.

Getting defensive, Clefairy jumped in front of her trainer with a frown of disapproval. Standing there, she awaited an instruction as the yo-kai held out his katana.

Everyone watching the movie held their breath in anticipation of what Nick would do now. Would he call out an attack against this yo-kai? Who knew what would happen if he did that. Especially since yo-kai didn't seem to operate the same way pokémon did.

After a long moment of contemplation, Nick forced on a smile and extended a hand of friendship to the creature. Noticing her trainer's reluctance to fight, Clefairy relaxed her stance, also smiling.

The yo-kai used one of his three remaining arms to scratch his head in bewilderment. He'd apparently never met a human or a pokémon before and was rather confused as to why they'd be so friendly on a first meeting.

After a few moments, he sighed, sheathing his katana. Reaching out a hand, he took Nick's and shook it, introducing himself as Cadin.

* * *

Much of the movie continued in the same manner, with Nick and Clefairy meeting and befriending many yo-kai, each one quirkier than the last. With each encounter, the yo-kai would attempt to fight, but Nick and Clefairy would refuse, instead choosing to extend their hands in friendship.

Some yo-kai were easier to convince than others, but all proved to be accepting of the offer.

* * *

Finally, the movie had reached its climax. An epic battle between good and evil to determine the fate of the yo-kai world.

Nick and Clefairy did everything in their power to resolve things peacefully, the way they had throughout the movie, but it was proving difficult for them. Every struggle seemed to bring them further from their goal.

Buneary was clinging anxiously to Pikachu's side. Piplup was screeching incoherently while Brock was trying to quieten him. Ash was loudly munching on popcorn and Dawn was muttering "No need to worry" to herself over and over again in a mantra.

Pikachu held his breath and waited for the fight's conclusion.

* * *

"Wow, that battle was awesome!" Ash exclaimed, jumping out of his seat. His empty popcorn tub flew to the floor by his feet.

"Yeah!" Dawn agreed. "It was really cool. And so heartwarming!"

Piplup was bawling his eyes out. "(That... ending... was... _so beautiful_!)" he cried.

Brock smiled tenderly as he rubbed the penguin on the head.

"(Wow...)" Buneary muttered, a small smile on her lips as she relaxed her frame and leaned into Pikachu.

"(Yeah...)" the mouse agreed with a smile of his own.

Currently, the credits were rolling to a very uplifting song, matching the mood of the movie overall. It made the mouse's chest feel light, happy and fulfilled. It had been a lovely way to celebrate his one-month anniversary as Buneary's boyfriend.

"(That was really good,)" she continued.

"(Yeah. Brock wasn't kidding when he said it was a feel-good movie.)"

Buneary turned slightly to beam at him. "(No kidding!)" She paused a moment. "(Who was your favourite character?)"

Pikachu paused to think. "(Hmm... I think it was Komasan.)"

She blinked at him. "(Really?)"

"(Yeah. He was pretty timid and cutesy... and he really didn't wanna fight at all.)"

... Actually, the white and blue dog reminded him of Buneary, now that he thought about it. Especially considering all the times she'd clung to him in fear. The time with the rotom, the time with the phione and the time they'd been separated from the other pokémon and walking though a dark cave.

No wonder he liked that yo-kai so much.

He smiled. "(Who was yours?)"

"(Oh, Jibanyan, definitely! He was so loud and weird and quirky!)" She giggled.

He chuckled back. Yeah, that red and white cat had been an interesting one, certainly.

"Next up," a voice on TV suddenly said, "a classic spaghetti western, _The Good, the Bad and the Pokémon_ , followed later tonight by some light romantic comedy in the form of _Luvdisc Actually_. Switch over to the horror channel in half an hour to watch _Determination_ 's scarier sister movie, _But Nobody Came_."

Pikachu's ears pricked. Sister movie? On the horror channel? Had he heard that right?

"Huh?" Ash asked. "Sister movie? What's that mean?"

"Doesn't that mean a movie that's really similar?" Dawn asked. "But how could a horror movie be similar to _that_?"

"It's an alternate interpretation of events, from what I hear," Brock replied. "Though I don't think either of you are old enough to watch it."

"Aww, but Broooock..." Ash whined.

"Yeah," Dawn agreed, "that just makes us wanna watch it more..."

"Come on now, you two," Brock said. "You have to get to bed anyway, if you wanna get in some early training tomorrow."

"Yeah..." Ash replied, "guess you're right... Alright, come on, Pikachu! It's time for bed!"

"You too, Piplup and Buneary!" Dawn agreed.

"(Kay...)" Piplup blubbered.

"(... A horror movie?)" Buneary muttered in intrigue, watching as Brock turned the screen off.

"(Apparently,)" Pikachu replied.

There was a long pause as Buneary continued to stare at the blank screen, even while the humans and Piplup were starting to make a move.

"(Um...)" he continued awkwardly, "(you didn't wanna watch it, did you?)"

"(... Well... I dunno...)" She fidgeted. "(I get scared really easily, so I don't know if... Well, I mean... I'd _wanna_ , but...)" She glanced back and forth between him and the television.

He blinked. Wow, she was feeling awfully brave tonight, wasn't she? Then again, that movie had been amazing and he could only imagine what this 'alternate interpretation' would be like. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't curious.

He lowered his voice. "(Hey...)" She glanced at him. "(When the trainers are in bed, do you wanna try watching it?)"

Her eyes widened. "(R... Really?)"

"(Yeah.)" He paused, then smiled awkwardly. "(Because, it's, like, our one-month anniversary, right? So, we should watch a movie alone, maybe.)" He blushed slightly. "(We could make it a date.)"

Her eyes began to sparkle. Grinning at him, she nodded. "(Okay.)"

* * *

As the humans lay snug in their beds, slowly drifting off, Pikachu felt so naughty creeping towards Dawn's bag. It really wasn't like him to be so disobedient - he normally liked to think of himself as a good mouse - but it was oddly thrilling to do something against the humans' wishes for once. It reminded him of the old days.

Reaching into the bag, he paused as Ash shuffled slightly. Holding his breath, he waited, silently pleading with Arceus not to be caught.

After a few moments, the shuffling settled down. Exhaling quietly, Pikachu quickly grabbed Buneary's pokéball and snuck towards the door. Climbing onto a nearby table, he reached out his tail, carefully picking at the lock with it.

* * *

Eventually, Pikachu and Buneary were settled on the couch. As Pikachu fiddled with the remote, Buneary snuggled up against him.

"(Are we in time to watch it?)" she asked.

Pikachu glanced at the clock. "(Yeah,)" he replied, "(it'll be on in a sec.)"

Looking back down, he pressed a button to turn on the screen. After a few moments, it lit up, revealing a commercial for Roserade perfume.

"(... It won't be too loud, will it?)"

Pikachu lowered the volume. "(I'm sure it'll be fine.)"

"(I just don't wanna wake anybody. I'm not even sure we're supposed to be up at this hour.)"

"(Hey, it's allowed. It's just not... recommended.)" He paused for thought. "(You know, the Sinnoh Pokémon Centres are more... uh, time allow-y than the ones in... Kanto...)"

She smirked lightly at him. "(Time allow-y?)"

He blushed. "(Well... you know... The Nurse Joys in Kanto had stricter curfews... is what I meant...)"

Buneary giggled again. Once the title of the movie appeared on-screen, however, she immediately quietened, snuggling closer to Pikachu.

* * *

The movie began much the same way as the other one. Nick received Clefairy as his first pokémon and set off on a journey, before falling through a portal into the yo-kai world. The only difference seemed to be in the lighting, possibly to signal that it was a different movie. It was a few tones darker and the music appeared to be slower. Pikachu could only imagine how the plotline would change.

Suddenly, Cadin attacked Nick, the same way he had in the previous movie. As before, he held out his sword while Clefairy jumped in front of Nick with a frown.

"Clefairy, use Pound!" Nick cried out.

Pikachu's eyes widened. There it was! There was the difference! In the other movie, Nick had never called out a single attack on the yo-kai. How would this change things?

With a battle cry, Clefairy flew forwards, swiping a claw at Cadin. The yo-kai cried out in pain as he was smacked hard across the face.

"Great! Now, use Pound again!"

Once more, Clefairy smacked Cadin hard across the face, making him tumble backwards and land in a crouched position. Looking up at Nick and Clefairy with one eye clenched in pain, he opened his mouth.

"Th..." he grunted, "thou hath... bested... me..."

A moment passed before he dissolved in a cloud of purple smoke.

Pikachu stared in horror. What? What?! Was Cadin... dead? But he'd been befriended so easily in the previous movie. Why did he have to die?

He watched, mouth agape, as the purple smoke seeped into Clefairy, making her glow purple for a split second.

"(Wh... What?)" Buneary whispered in horror.

He had no answer for her.

"Cl... Clefairy?" Nick asked quietly, also staring wide-eyed.

"(Wow...)" Clefairy replied, slowly looking down at her claws, "(I... I... feel so much... stronger now...)"

* * *

Buneary clung tighter and tighter to Pikachu's arm as the movie progressed. It had started off so innocent, just like its sister movie, but it had taken a horribly dark turn. He could certainly see why it was on the horror channel now.

Nick's first kill had been an accident. His second had been a test, to see if Clefairy would get even stronger. She had. So he'd killed a third time. Then a fourth. Then a fifth.

The more yo-kai that fell in battle, the stronger Clefairy seemed to grow, only making the following battles easier. Especially when she started to learn new moves. Enjoying this new development, Nick had revelled in it, ordering it more and more.

Eventually, the major characters - the fun, quirky ones that they'd come to know and love from the other movie - all started to die, too. All painfully. All asking why. All in the name of Clefairy getting stronger.

When Jibanyan dissolved into a cloud of purple smoke, Buneary whimpered in distress, huddling as close to Pikachu as she could. One glance at her face told the mouse that she could no longer look at the screen.

He placed an arm around her. "(... Are you okay?)" he asked.

She squeaked, shaking her head against his side.

"(... Do you wanna stop watching?)" he continued.

She paused a long moment. Eventually, she took a deep breath, forcing herself to look back at the screen.

"(N-No...)"

"(... Are you sure?)"

"(... Yeah. I'll be fine...)"

"(... Well, okay...)"

She was being awfully brave, so he had to commend her on that. He really couldn't blame her for disliking this movie, though. He didn't, either.

Honestly, what he felt was more like a morbid fascination now. Just how much worse could it get?


	15. Horrors

Author's note: Yo.

Yokai are everywhere~! Causing you problems, messing up your hair~!

... Except not anymore, coz they're freaking dead.

Hey there! I'm back with another instalment of Yo-kaitale! It's only set to get stranger from here.

(On that note, props to VGS2 for a few of the story ideas!)

... Seriously, though, can I take a moment to talk about how _incredibly narmy_ the Yo-kai Watch game is? XD Like... seriously.

... Good thing I've got a complete weak spot for narm charm!

Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter!

P.S. I fixed Cadin's speech in the previous chapter to be more old-fashioned. Yay!

P.P.S. I also edited the ending of chapter 13, because I figured there was a twinge of mood whiplash between chapters. It flows better now!

P.P.S. When I posted this, it was two days before my birthday! Happy 28th, me, ya old coot.

* * *

 **Chapter Fifteen** **: Horrors**

The towns had once been bustling with life. Energy. Happiness. Now, they were barren.

Any yo-kai that weren't already dead had gone into hiding, away from the nightmare that stalked the streets.

Not even the music held any glimmer of hope. The slow-paced tracks from earlier had been replaced with a harsh chord, repeated over and over again.

In _Determination_ , Nick's eyes had glimmered with curiosity. Sparkled with love and friendship.

In _But Nobody Came_ , however, his eyes were blank. Cold. Calculating.

In stark contrast were Clefairy's eyes. They still held their expression of child-like joy and wonderment. It had been endearing in the other movie. Wearing the same expression while mercilessly killing those she'd otherwise called friends, however, was more than a little disturbing.

Buneary hadn't stopped clinging to Pikachu's arm and it seemed it was only set to get worse.

* * *

Nick stood pressed against a wall. Waiting. Listening. Beside him, Clefairy smiled to herself as she swayed from side to side. An eerie purple aura was emanating around her.

Suddenly, a small group of yo-kai - which seemed to consist of Tattletell, Blazion, Walkappa, Noko and Komajiro - ran past. Stopping for breath and looking around in paranoid fear, they discussed what to do next. Komajiro was crying, desperate to find his missing big brother, while Walkappa was trying to keep him calm.

They'd gotten separated from the others. They were lost. Confused. Scared.

A knot formed in Pikachu's chest as the camera showed a glint in Nick's eye.

"Clefairy," he said simply.

Clefairy nodded. Holding out her claws, she attempted to form a Shadow Ball. However, for some reason, it was pink, instead. The fairy pokémon looked surprised.

Nick looked down at her. "Moonblast, eh?"

Clefairy's eyes brightened.

"... Kill them."

Nodding in response, she fired off a pink orb.

When it hit Blazion, the fire lion instantly exploded in a cloud of purple smoke. Every pair of pupils dilated in terror.

The screams that followed were horrifying. Pikachu cringed as the group scattered, each one being chased down by a deadly pink orb. Upon contact, they would instantly explode into nothing, all trace of their existence gone.

... He'd never even heard of Moonblast, but, now, he was rather hoping it didn't exist.

When the group had all been absorbed, the area was once again deathly silent. With a satisfied huff, Nick moved elsewhere, Clefairy hot on his heels.

Suddenly, the camera panned sideways slightly, revealing a hidden figure in the shadows.

Someone had been watching.

After a moment, though, it disappeared out of view.

* * *

One by one, the yo-kai fell. Families were torn apart, friends were separated. Even lovers weren't safe.

When Clefairy killed Happierre right in front of his wife, Dismarelda, she was horrified. Heartbroken. She fell to the floor in sobs. Then she begged for death herself. Clefairy was only too happy to oblige.

A whimpering sound came from Buneary as she buried her face in Pikachu's side. Honestly, the mouse wasn't sure how much more he could take, himself...

* * *

Eventually, after enough yo-kai had fallen, two members of the royal guard - known as Helmsman and Armsman - stepped in to block Nick's path. Appalled and disgusted by his mass genocide, they refused to let him proceed.

Completely unfazed, Nick wordlessly called on Clefairy with a flick of his wrist. The fairy pokémon responded by stepping in front of him and charging up a Moonblast.

With a sound of glee, she fired it.

Pikachu expected the yo-kai to die immediately. Surprisingly, though, they both managed to dodge the attack. Pikachu's eyes widened.

Looking slightly perturbed, Nick told Clefairy to attack again. Obliging, the fairy pokémon fired off a volley of Moonblasts. The two yo-kai were fast, however, so they dodged out of the way. Then they started fighting back.

Clefairy was actually starting to take damage.

A spark of hope flared in Pikachu's chest. Could this be where things turned around?

* * *

The fight lasted a while. Longer than the others had. Helmsman and Armsman had put up an incredible fight, but they were starting to wear down. They were starting to lose.

Just when Pikachu had begun to give up on their success, however, they did something surprising. They combined their strength and, in a flash of bright yellow light, fused together.

The resulting yo-kai was taller, wearing a full body of armour and carrying a spear. He introduced himself as Reuknight.

Pikachu's eyes widened at the new development.

* * *

The fight had been long and arduous, and Reuknight had done his best to protect his fellow yo-kai. Even Buneary had been sitting forward in her seat in anxious anticipation.

Ultimately, though, it had ended the same way. Clefairy had destroyed and absorbed the powerful yo-kai.

With an almost proud nod to his pokémon, Nick continued on his way.

Buneary whimpered, leaning back against Pikachu.

"(Can no one stop them?)" she asked quietly.

Pikachu hesitated. "(... I-I'm sure someone will,)" he replied. "(Th-They wouldn't just have him kill everything...)" He forced on a smile. "(... Right?)"

Buneary whined slightly in response.

* * *

One by one, the yo-kai continued to fall, no one able to put up half the fight that Reuknight had. It was starting to look hopeless.

Suddenly, Cupistol blocked Nick's path, holding a box.

"That's as far as you go!" the yo-kai said, flipping his long pink hair.

Pikachu paused. Wait, wasn't that box the one Cupistol had shown Nick in the other movie? The one he'd said contained a family heirloom?

Before Nick could say anything in response, Cupistol flung open the box, revealing two heart-shaped guns called love busters. In a flash of yellow light, he fused with them.

The new yo-kai - with his purple humanoid form and love busters for hands - proclaimed that his name was Casanuva.

Just as another hope spot appeared for Pikachu, it was immediately crushed with a Moonblast from Clefairy.

... Was there really no hope anymore?

* * *

With almost all the yo-kai dead, and even the big bad from the previous movie stepping down in awe from Clefairy's power, Nick seemed to have nothing in his way.

The fairy pokémon glowed a disturbing shade of purple, tiny crackles dancing across her skin. Nick, however, had a new destination in mind: the pokémon world.

He had the strongest pokémon alive, with power that rivalled - maybe even surpassed - that of Arceus himself. In his home world, he'd be unbeatable. Unstoppable.

He'd destroy everything.

... Was there no one left to stop him?

"(... I...)" Buneary muttered.

"(Hmm?)" Pikachu asked, glancing down at her.

She gripped his arm harder. "(I'm not sure I wanna... see how this ends...)"

He gave her a sympathetic look. He completely understood. All of the strongest yo-kai had been defeated already, so there didn't seem to be much hope for a happy ending.

... Well, perhaps it would never be a _happy_ ending at this point, but he'd at least been hoping for a bittersweet one.

Sighing, he picked up the remote. "(Alright...)" He moved his finger towards the power button.

"... Stop," a familiar voice suddenly said to Nick.

Pikachu halted.

Nick glanced up, no amount of surprise on his face. "... You," he replied.

"... Me," Komasan said, straightening himself to look Nick dead in the eyes.

Pikachu's eyes widened. In shock, he dropped the remote.

He'd been wondering where Komasan had gone! He'd just assumed the dog had been blasted apart, like the other yo-kai. Perhaps in the background of a crowd shot, or something, but he was still alive?

... And he was standing in Nick's way?!

Quickly, he glanced in Buneary's direction. Upon seeing her look of intrigue at this new development, he looked intently back at the screen, now fully invested.

Nick wordlessly flicked his wrist. Obeying, Clefairy stood in front of him, looking ready to attack.

Komasan's eyes narrowed.

Pikachu's heart raced as he desperately leaned forwards in his seat. What was Komasan thinking?! There was no way he could take on Clefairy by himself! If Reuknight and Casanuva had stood no chance, then what hope did _he_ have?! He hadn't even battled in the previous movie, because he'd been too scared to!

"... You killed 'em," Komasan said slowly. "... All of 'em. All o' my friends... my family..."

Nick didn't respond.

"You killed Jibanyan... my best friend... 'n' Komajiro... my little brother..."

Still, Nick said nothing. Honestly, Pikachu thought it was strange that he hadn't ordered an attack yet.

... Perhaps he was enjoying this sad little speech. Enjoying hearing how many yo-kai he'd killed.

As Komasan bowed his head, Pikachu's heart clenched into a painful knot.

"... If only I'd done somethin' sooner... If only I hadn't waited... prayed someone else would take care o' you..." Komasan paused. "But now? Now there's no one left... No one left but me..."

The yo-kai raised his head, his eyes glowing an eerie mixture of blue and yellow.

"And I can't let you go free... I can't let you do to _your_ world... _what you did to mine_!"

Suddenly, he was surrounded by swirling purple mist. With a flash of white light, he was engulfed in a cloud of purple smoke.

For a moment, Pikachu held his breath. Purple smoke usually meant death in this movie. Could this be the first _good_ purple smoke...?

Eventually, it cleared, revealing a much taller creature. The blue fire on Komasan's eyebrows and tail was also now on his head, wrists and feet. The green rucksack he usually wore on his back was now a cape.

The creature straightened, his glare still glowing an intense blue and yellow. "I am Komane. A guardian lion dog." He snarled, baring his teeth. "And I refuse to cower any longer!"

Pikachu's jaw fell open. He blinked once. Then twice.

... Was this really happening right now?!

The adorable, timid little yo-kai who'd always been easily shocked and crying 'Oh my swirls!' at everything... What had he turned into?!

Surrounding himself in blue and red fire, Komane shot into the sky, leaving a blazing trail in his wake. "Die!" he screamed.

The fire burst from his body, careening towards Nick and Clefairy.

Just far enough away, Nick jumped back to avoid the attack. Clefairy, however, was much too close. In a panic, she jumped left and right to avoid the wisps of fire that were falling down like rain. Once they all landed, they created a wall of blue flames that seared her skin. She screeched in pain, jumping away from it.

Quickly landing again, Komane shot out a purple mist from his body. It encircled Clefairy and singed her fur. She flinched.

Nick narrowed his eyes. "You burned her," he said simply.

"Yes," Komane replied. "I did."

"Tsk... Clefairy. End this."

With a nod, Clefairy lifted one arm above her head. A spinning purple disc of Psyshock formed, quickly growing in size. Flinching again, she swung her arm, sending the disc flying towards Komane.

The lion dog leapt out of the way, causing the disc's razor-sharp edge to collide with the floor, slicing a clean cut through it.

Nick lowered his head into shadow. "More."

"(Right!)" Clefairy replied.

Flinching again, she threw multiple razor-sharp discs at Komane, who desperately tried to dodge them, lest he get his body sliced in two. Once he managed to get close enough, he wound back his arm and punched Clefairy across the face. She flew backwards from the pain.

" _Clefairy_ ," Nick said harshly.

Lifting her claws above her head, Clefairy formed a crackling purple orb, which quickly grew over five times her size. Flinching again, she swung her arms back and threw the Shadow Ball at Komane.

It was a direct hit.

Exploding on contact, it sent him flying backwards. He landed on his knees, skidding and scraping his skin. Pounding a fist into the ground, he stopped his momentum.

He panted, pushing himself with much exertion onto his feet.

"... You're stubborn," Nick said.

"No," Komane replied, looking up to glare at him. "I'm determined."

Shooting forwards, he began punching Clefairy. First with his left fist. Then his right. Then his left again. She was helpless to the constant barrage.

"All those yo-kai ya killed... most of 'em weren't even tryin'. They just wanted to play." As he punched Clefairy away, purple wisps formed around him. The ground underneath the pokémon rumbled. "... And you slaughtered 'em." The ground suddenly cracked open, spewing red fire all over Clefairy. She screeched in agony. "Every last one of 'em!"

As Clefairy jumped back, more cracks began to open up, spewing red fire. She dodged left and right to avoid them.

The frown lines on Nick's face deepened as he began to bare his teeth.

Once the fire stopped, Clefairy flinched from the burn she still had. "(You won't beat me!)" she cried, lifting a claw and pointing it at Komane.

Out of it shot a concentrated beam of Flamethrower, which hit Komane in the chest. He cried out in pain as it burned his skin.

Pikachu was staring at the screen, wondering when the final blow would come. The only thing that stood between Nick and the pokémon world's destruction was Komane. The second he died, it would all be over.

The question was, how long would it take?

He continued to watch as blow after blow was exchanged, the tension increasing with every new cut and bruise. Was Komane strong enough to take out Clefairy?

Glancing sideways, he could see that even Buneary was invested now. She was no longer cowering, instead staring at the screen with a look of horrified wonder. He looked back at the screen himself, not wanting to miss anything.

Both parties were now panting in exhaustion, with barely the energy to stand. Nick, now looking furious, charged forwards.

"Clefairy, what are you doing?!" he screamed. "Kill him already!"

Suddenly, Komane's eyes glowed blue and yellow. "Gotcha," he said.

A crack opened up directly between Nick and Clefairy, spewing fire and engulfing both of them. They screamed in agony.

Pikachu's eyes widened. That was the first time Nick had been hit in this movie! He'd suffered a few scrapes in _Determination_ , but nothing in this one. Clefairy had shielded him, taking all the damage for herself.

As the fire cleared away, Nick stumbled around, clutching his burned arm. He screamed at Clefairy, asking why she didn't protect him with Friend Guard, and Pikachu was again reminded of the other movie.

In _Determination_ , her ability had helped to keep all of her friends safe, reducing their damage by a quarter. Here, however, it hadn't seemed to have triggered at all.

Wincing from the injuries and the burn, Clefairy turned to Nick with a slightly crooked smile. "(You're not my friend~)" she said.

A small gasp came from Buneary.

Sensing something was wrong, Nick slowly took a few steps back.

"... Enough foolin' around," Komane said. Surrounding himself in blue and red fire, he flew into the air. "This ends now!" The fire shot from his body, careening towards Clefairy.

Responding in kind, Clefairy quickly charged up a Moonblast. She flinched from her burn, then fired the pink blast in a stream of light. It crashed into the blue and red fire.

The two attacks desperately pushed against each other, each one trying to gain dominance. Whoever won the struggle would probably also win victory.

Pikachu was literally on the edge of his seat, almost falling off it as he waited for the conclusion.

The Moonblast pushed against the fire, but then the fire pushed back. He wasn't sure which one was going to win.

Then Clefairy flinched.

The Moonblast weakened slightly and that was all the opening the fire needed. It pushed back with twice the force, overwhelming the pink beam of light.

"(No... _no_!)" Clefairy cried.

Even Nick was rendered speechless as the fire engulfed his pokémon.

There was a colossal explosion, one that rocked the landscape and caused debris to fly in every direction. Nick shielded his eyes from the blast as he flew backwards, hitting the cold, hard ground.

Light filled up the screen. Pikachu and Buneary were silent as they waited with bated breath for the result.

Eventually, the light cleared. Wincing from his wounds, Nick slowly opened his eyes and looked around. On the floor, surrounding him, were lots of small pink specs. All that was left of Clefairy.

Pikachu's breath caught in his throat. It was over? It was finally over?

Nick's eyes widened. His breath hitching, he tried scrambling to his feet. In too much pain, he fell back down again.

Komane slowly lowered himself to the ground. Panting heavily from his exhaustion, he made his way over to Nick.

Once Nick noticed, he scurried backwards on his hands, suddenly looking afraid. Words seemed to be failing him.

Komane callously stepped over several pieces of Clefairy, glaring intensely at his next target.

"... P... Please..." Nick stuttered, "don't kill me!"

"Oh, that's rich, comin' from _you_ ," Komane spat.

"Please. I can change! I can be a good person. Just... give me a chance!"

Komane stopped in front of Nick, slamming a foot down on his leg to keep him in place. Nick screamed in agony.

"What, like ya gave all o' the yo-kai a chance?!"

"I... I can change..."

Lunging forward, Komane punched him across the face. It broke his nose, sending blood trickling down his mouth.

"The only thing _you_ can do... is die."

As purple wisps began to swirl around the yo-kai, Nick's pupils dilated in terror. Hurriedly, he tried to scramble away.

"H-Help! Someone! Anyone! Get this..." He winced and fell onto his face. "Maniac away from me!"

Komane stood beside Nick, kicking him painfully onto his back. "... You're pathetic." He picked him up by the front of his shirt and the camera suddenly switched to Nick's point of view. It almost felt like Pikachu was the one being held up. "How many of the yo-kai ya killed did the same thing? And how many did ya actually listen to?" He threw him back down. The camera shook upon impact. "They probably screamed... cried... even begged for mercy. Maybe they even asked for help."

His eyes glowed, flickering eerily between blue and yellow. "... _But nobody came_."

Suddenly, an explosion of red fire engulfed the camera. Nick's agonised scream could be heard as the screen went black.

The credits began rolling to a dark rock song with a heavy bass. Pikachu couldn't seem to close his mouth.

Wow. Just... wow. That ending had left him completely speechless.

He turned to see Buneary's reaction and wasn't surprised to see that she was also staring at the screen, eyes wide. She slowly turned to face him.

"(... So, uh...)" he said, "(... yeah.)"

"(Yeah...)" she replied.

"(That was... some movie.)"

"(No kidding...)"

There was a long awkward pause as the credits continued to roll.

"(... That was a cool fight at the end,)" Buneary continued.

"(Yeah. It was pretty cool.)"

"(Wanna... stay up and talk about it?)"

"(Do you... not wanna go to bed? It's pretty late.)"

"(Not... quite yet.)"

Ah. He understood now. She was just as freaked out by that movie as _he_ was. Perhaps even more so, since she was known to be rather timid.

He gave a small smile. "(Well, alright then.)"

She smiled back faintly. "(Thanks, Pikachu.)"

"(No problem.)"

It wasn't as if he minded the thought of staying up, anyway. After all, he doubted it'd be easy to sleep after watching that. Even for him.

Since there was plenty to talk about, though, he had a feeling they'd be at this for a while...


	16. Discussions

Author's note: Ciao, amici! (Hello, friends!)

Last time, on Yo-kaitale... Komane used his actual canon moves! Spirit Burst, Burn, Power Punch and Incinerate. Why didn't I label them in the chapter itself, you ask? Well... Pikachu didn't know the attack names. Plus, can you imagine how narmy it would have been if Komane had yelled out his attacks while using them? XD "Power Punch!"

I also added a few Dragonball Z references in that chapter. See if you can spot them all.

And yes, Reuknight and Casanuva were chosen for a reason. Lol, Undertale.

... On an unrelated note, how would you guys feel about a reboot of **In Times of Danger**? I've been working on giving it a fresh coat of paint and am interested to see what my reviewers think. It promises tighter plotlines! More interesting characterisations! And even better backstories! This time, nothing will be shoehorned in, if I can help it. Haha.

... In the meantime, though, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter Sixteen** **: Discussions**

"Next up," the voice on TV said, "is _Creature from the Great Marsh,_ followed later on tonight by _Dr. Lycan and Mr. Roc_."

Pikachu pressed the power button on the remote and the screen immediately went black. Placing it back down on the couch, he turned to Buneary. There was silence for a moment.

"(So...)" he said. He smiled awkwardly. "(I wasn't expecting Komasan to evolve.)"

"(Heh,)" Buneary replied with a small smile in return, "(me neither.)"

"(Or to fight so well! I mean, jeez...)"

"(Ha, yeah.)"

There was more silence.

"(I'm glad it ended the way it did, but man...)" Pikachu's ears drooped slightly in exasperation.

"(Yeah... Why did they have to make a movie like this?)"

"(I've no idea.)"

Buneary's ear drooped. "(And the first movie was so happy, too...)"

"(Yeah and this one was depressing.)"

"(Yeah...)"

After a few moments, her eyes started watering. Panicking, Pikachu tried to think of a way to cheer her up.

"(But hey... I guess... it wasn't real, right?)"

Buneary paused a long moment. "(... I guess not.)"

"(It _felt_ pretty real, but... it wasn't. It was most likely that... thing!)"

"(Huh?)"

"(You know... that thing! With the computers and... stuff.)"

Wiping her eyes, Buneary chuckled at him. He sighed, his face turning red. Well, at least he'd managed to cheer her up...

"(Do you mean CGI?)"

He immediately perked up. "(Yeah! CGI, that's it! It's probably only that.)"

"(Yeah... I know... but the characters felt so real, you know? And...)" She halted.

"(Yeah?)"

"(Nothing. It just... reminded me of something, that's all.)"

Pikachu's ears drooped further in concern. "(Oh... sorry.)"

She shook her head with a small smile. "(It's nothing.)"

"(Well, alright...)" He paused. "(Well, hey. Maybe the yo-kai were actually pokémon actors!)"

"(Heh, maybe.)"

"(I'd really like to meet Komasan's actor!)"

"(Yeah... and Jibanyan's.)"

"(Oh, definitely. Hey, maybe Nick and Clefairy are really nice in real life, too!)"

"(Yeah, maybe.)" She paused. "(Still, it was horrible watching them kill all those yo-kai...)"

"(Yeah. You have to wonder why they made that movie.)" Pikachu paused as he thought about it. "(Hmm... then again... would it have been as depressing if we hadn't watched the _first_ movie?)"

"(Hmm?)" Buneary paused again. "(I guess not...)"

"(Yeah... it was only sad because we knew all the characters...)"

"(That's true... though it'd be hard to watch the first movie again after this.)"

Pikachu sighed. "(Yeah... this movie kinda ruined it.)"

"(Mmm.)"

"(... It had a really cool ending, though! Really... dramatic and explosive.)"

"(Heh, yeah. It was pretty cool.)

"(It was the best part of the movie!)" Pikachu paused. "(Well, it was the _only_ good part, really... Apart from the cool evolutions!)"

Buneary nodded. "(Yeah. I particularly liked Cas... uh... Cupistol's evolution.)"

"(Yeah, me too! And Armsman's! Uh... Re... Reu...)" Pikachu shook his head. "(Whatever it was called.)"

"(Heh, yeah.)" Buneary paused. "(Talk about a dramatic ending, though.)"

"(Oh, I know, right?! Did they really need to make it so...)"

"(Scary?)"

"(Yeah! Komasan... or... Komane, was it? He was completely different by the end of the movie!)"

"(Heh, no kidding. I barely recognised him.)"

"(Yeah...)"

"(And poor Jibanyan... He didn't deserve that...)"

"(Mmm...)"

"(He was only being nice and trying to help and... well, yeah...)"

"(Mmm... but, again, it's only a movie, right? And... and... you can pretend this movie didn't exist, if you like...)"

"(I guess...)"

Pikachu fished around for something to cheer Buneary up again. "(Uh... so, what was your favourite part about the _other_ movie?)"

She brightened slightly. "(Oh, well... lots of them, really. It's hard to pick.)" She paused for thought. "(Hmmmm... Oh! The funniest moment was Jibanyan with his seafood!)"

He chuckled. "(Oh yeah! He's obsessed with that stuff.)"

Buneary giggled. "(He's such a goofball.)"

"(Yeah.)"

"(What was _your_ favourite part?)"

He thought about it for a moment. "(Hmmmm... probably the big fight at the end.)"

"(Heh, well, you do love your battling!)"

"(Yep, I sure do!)" He pumped both fists excitedly. "(The way Nick and Clefairy both fought for their friends was just... it was just... you know?!)"

Buneary giggled again. "(Yeah, I know.)"

"(And the music! The music was awesome! It got me so pumped up and excited and... and... emotional!)"

"(Yeah, me too! And you should've seen Piplup! He was sobbing by the end!)"

Pikachu laughed. "(Yeah, I saw!)"

Buneary giggled again. After a few moments, her laughter died down and she looked contemplative. "(Hey, Pikachu?)"

"(Hmm?)"

"(Do you think it's that easy? To change from good to bad?)"

He blinked. "(Huh?)"

"(It only took one little thing to turn Nick and Clefairy into bad guys. Is it really that easy?)"

Pikachu tilted his head in thought. "(Hmm... well, probably not? It was probably done for dramatic effect. Maybe.)" He paused. "(Like that moment in the final fight.)"

"(Huh?)"

"(Yeah, when Nick came in close and Komane attacked him. Why didn't he attack him sooner?)"

Buneary blinked. "(... Dramatic effect.)"

Pikachu nodded. "(Yeah.)"

"(... Huh. I guess so.)"

He smiled. "(I doubt it'd be that easy to turn from good to evil... you know?)"

She smiled back. "(Yeah. I guess not.)" She suddenly yawned. "(Oh my.)"

He chuckled. "(Yeah, it's pretty late. Should we get to bed now?)"

Buneary rubbed her eye. "(Yeah, I guess so.)"

"(Alright.)" Pikachu reached to the side of him, where he'd put Buneary's pokéball. Grabbing it, he lifted it up. "(You ready to go back in?)"

She nodded. "(Yup.)"

"(Alright. Buneary, return!)"

In a flash of red light, his girlfriend was absorbed back into the pokéball. Shrinking it back down to pocket size, he glanced towards the stairs.

... Well, now it was time to sneak back into the humans' room without waking them up. Oh joy.

* * *

Standing atop the table - and trying not to knock over the flower vase - Pikachu slowly and carefully clicked the door lock shut with his tail.

Holding his breath, he glanced over at the humans, who were lying in their beds. Ash's arms were splayed out and he was snoring with his mouth wide open. Brock was clutching at his blanket with a goofy smile on his face. Dawn was clearly the most graceful sleeper, though her hair was currently a bit of a mess.

None of them, however, seemed to have woken up. Breathing a sigh of relief, Pikachu quietly jumped down from the table, Buneary's pokéball in hand. Once he put it back where it belonged, it was time for him to sleep.

* * *

 _He ran through the many colourful flowers, laughing joyfully. Turning his head,_ _he could see his brown, fluffy companion giving chase, a beaming smile on her face. Today was a lovely day. The sun was shining, the bird pokémon were chirping and there was barely a cloud in the sky._

 _Turning back around, he glanced at the path ahead, weaving in and out of the colourful flowers. When something small and purple, carrying a familiar hat, suddenly cut across his path, he screeched to a halt._

 _Calling after the monkey, he instead gave chase._

 _She was so far ahead and he was getting no closer, but he had to get that hat back! Increasing his speed, he dashed towards her. As he closed in on her frame, now larger and with two tails, he leapt into the air and grabbed the hat off her head with his teeth. However, his grip on the hat loosened and his vision was suddenly obscured as he landed on all fours._

 _Lifting his head to push the hat out of his eyes, he froze. Two lone figures stood on the road. One tall, with cold eyes. The other short and pink, eyes filled with child-like wonder._

 _The tall one silently flicked his wrist. The small pink one nodded, forming a gigantic pink ball of energy between her claws._

 _His blood ran cold as the energy was thrown in his direction. The pink stream of light rumbled loudly as it tore along the dirt path, straight towards him._

 _He willed - begged - his legs to move, but they couldn't. They wouldn't. He was frozen in fear._

 _Even before he could will the energy to scream, he felt it slam into him with the force of a freight train. His body, lifeless, flew across the field, hitting the dirt and rolling, until it smacked into a tree and stopped._

 _The pain was blinding. Everywhere stung like acid and his vision was suddenly hot, red and wet. Someone was screaming his name, but it was hazy._

 _The last thing he saw, just before he blacked out, was the pink creature, smiling happily down at him._

* * *

Pikachu jolted awake. Breathing heavily, he glanced at his surroundings. Okay, he was in a Pokémon Centre, sleeping on his trainer's stomach. Okay. He most certainly was _not_ getting destroyed by Nick's clefairy.

He sighed, trying to relax. Well, great. He wanted to go back to sleep, but he had the sneaking suspicion that, if he did, the same nightmare would plague his thoughts. He groaned groggily. Dang, he was so tired, but he really didn't want to get killed again. That dream had been scary...

"(Pikachu?)" a familiar voice asked.

Eyes widening in surprise, he looked down. "(Buneary?)" he replied.

"(Hey...)"

He glanced at Dawn's bag, then back at Buneary. He rubbed his itching eye. "(Why are you up?)"

She glanced down at the floor, fidgeting with her fluff. "(... I had a nightmare.)"

His ears dipped slightly in sympathy. "(Oh...)"

She looked up at him. "(What about you? Did... I wake you?)"

"(Nah. I had a nightmare, too.)"

Her eyes widened. "(You too?)"

"(Yeah.)"

"(... Was it... about Nick and Clefairy?)"

"(Yeah. How'd you know?)"

She looked away again. "('Cause mine was, too.)"

He blinked. "(... Really?)" He paused. "(Did she kill you?)"

She looked back at him. "(Huh?)"

"('Cause she killed _me_.)"

Her eyes widened a second time. "(... No... she... killed _you_.)"

He blinked again. "(Huh. So I died in _two_ dreams?)"

"(Y-Yeah...)"

"(Huh.)"

There was a sudden stretch of silence between them.

"(... Hey, Pikachu?)"

"(Yeah?)"

"(... Can I sleep up there with you tonight?)"

He blinked for the third time. "(Huh?)"

Her voice lowered to a murmur. "(I don't wanna go back in my pokéball...)"

He gave her a sympathetic gaze. "(... Well, okay, sure. If there's room.)"

She gave him a faint smile in return. "(Thanks.)"

Climbing up the side of the bed, she carefully made her way across the blanket and onto Ash's chest. Pikachu shifted sideways to allow her more room. Taking the offer with another smile, she settled down beside him. As he lay back down on his front, she nuzzled into his side, her fur warm and cosy against his.

"(... Goodnight, Pikachu,)" she said, closing her eyes.

He smiled as he closed his own eyes, now somehow ready to sleep again. "(... Goodnight, Buneary.)"


	17. Celebrations

Author's note: Hey, folks!

Sorry this fic hasn't been updated in a while. Blame Fire Emblem: Fates... XP

Doing all three paths multiple times takes a lot of time, patience... and frustration. Yes, there are about a million things I could complain about with this game. I could go on an all-day rant, I swear... but I'll save you the ear ache. XD

Hope you enjoy the latest chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter Seventeen : Celebrations**

 _Pikachu frowned at Sparky across the battlefield. His fellow mouse smirked back at him._

 _His ritchie certainly was powerful._ _The trainer-type had already taken out three of his pokémon. His brock, his dawn **and** __his tracey!_

 _... There was nothing else for it. He needed to bring out the big guns._

 _From beside him, his girlfriend expressed worry over his chances. Calmly, he_ _waved her off. He had this covered._

 _With a smirk, he spun his cap backwards and threw his next pokéball._

 _"(Ash!)" he cried. "(I choose you!)"_

 _With a click, the pokéball opened in midair, releasing a flash of white light. After a moment, it dispersed, revealing his best friend. His partner. His most trusted pokémon._

 _Ash opened his mouth, ready to express his enthusiasm for the battle._

 _A high-pitched squeal erupted from his throat._

* * *

Pikachu rapidly blinked awake. Wow. That had been loud.

... Wait, why could he still hear it?

"Huh?" Ash mumbled, voice heavy with sleep. "Whazza matter, Dawn?"

"That's so cute~!" Dawn replied.

"Hmm?" Brock asked. "What's cute?"

"That!"

There was a pause, then Brock gasped. Curious at what was going on, Pikachu looked up with sleepy eyes, only to see that Dawn was pointing directly at him.

... Huh?

Confused, he frowned slightly. Then he turned sideways to see if there was anything beside him. When his eyes met the equally sleepy eyes of his girlfriend, it took him a moment to understand.

... Oh.

Brock suddenly let out an inhumane howl that made Pikachu jump.

"It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!" he cried, his voice thick with tears. "It's love at its absolute finest, is what it is!"

Pikachu ducked his head in embarrassment. Oh good lord. They were starting on the 'love' stuff this early in the morning?

"Huh?" Ash asked. "... Oh, hey, Buneary." He chuckled. "How'd you get on my chest?"

"See, that's the thing, Ash!" Dawn replied excitedly. "She was in her pokéball last night! And now she's not!"

"Meaning she crept out of it and onto your bed, just so she could be with the love of her life!" Brock wailed.

Pikachu's face warmed. Groaning slightly, he hid it behind his paws.

It was way too early for this...

* * *

Later, once the humans had left the Pokémon Centre, they were travelling through the town, hoping to reach the next route soon.

Pikachu yawned loudly atop Ash's shoulder. After staying up so late, then being woken up by a nightmare, he was still very tired. Thankfully, he didn't need to do any walking for a while.

As they passed a doll store, he briefly glanced over in curiosity. A bellossom doll, a togetic doll and an azumarill doll were all lined up along the windowsill. Right at the end, however, was a clefairy doll. Its glassy eyes and pleasant smile stared directly into his soul. Perturbed, he shivered and turned away.

The humans continued walking in comfortable silence, passing store after store. Pikachu was just starting to wake up properly when Brock suddenly screamed out of nowhere. Everyone jumped in fright and Pikachu almost fell off Ash's shoulder.

"What is it, Brock?!" Dawn asked, panicked.

"I just realised!" he cried. "Pikachu and Buneary..." He clenched his fists and burst into tears. "They've been dating for a month!"

Pikachu blushed slightly at the look of sparkling awe on Dawn's face.

"Really?! They have?!"

Ash put a wrist to his hip. "Huh," he said. He chuckled. "Way to go, buddy!"

"(Heh, thanks...)" Pikachu replied.

Brock got a sudden fire in his eyes as he clenched one of his fists harder. "This must be celebrated!" he cried.

"Celebrated?" Dawn asked. After a moment, she clasped her hands together in delight. "That's a great idea! Oh, I'm excited already~!"

Brock took on a thinking pose. "But how? How should this monumental step in their relationship be celebrated?"

"(... Guys, it's okay,)" Pikachu said in exasperation. "(It's not really _that_ big of a deal...)"

Besides, they'd already celebrated it last night. Not that the humans had any idea, of course.

"That's it!" Brock cried, clicking his fingers. "I've got just the thing. Wait here."

"Huh?" Dawn asked. "Well, okay then."

As Brock wandered off, Ash looked around. "... So, uh..." he said, "what are we supposed to do now?"

* * *

"I can understand why some prefer the style approach," Dawn said. "You get to dress up your pokémon and make them look cute."

"Yeah, but the pokémon are great as they are..." Ash replied. "They don't need dresses or accessories."

"Says the guy who made his pikachu wear a wig and loincloth for that one contest."

Ash frowned slightly. "Hey, you're the one who gave Buneary a min... min..." He paused. "Uh, what was the word again?"

"... Minimalistic?"

"Right. A minimalistic style! So you've no room to talk!"

Dawn took on a slightly cocky air. "Yeah, but that was only because I knew it would help!" She smiled. "I'd have loved to put Buneary in one of my _other_ dress ideas!" She took on a dreamy air. "Like the fluffy diamond gown! Or the spiky eighties dress!"

Ash heaved a sigh, slumping his shoulders. "It's like Scissor Street all over again..."

Dawn looked at him curiously. "Hmm? Scissor Street?"

"A place in Kanto." He rubbed his head awkwardly. "There was this whole style vs. substance thing going on there... and I was totally on the side of substance."

"Huh, is that so?" She huffed amusedly. "Sounds like you."

He frowned slightly. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

Suddenly, Brock appeared from nowhere, startling them all again. "I'm back!" he said.

Dawn took a calming breath. "Oh. Hey."

"So, what'd you get?" Ash asked excitedly.

Brock waved a finger. "Ah ah ah~!" he replied. "You'll have to wait til later to find out!"

Ash's face fell. "Aww..."

* * *

Much later, the humans had stopped for lunch in an open field. As per usual, Buneary was snuggling into Pikachu, though perhaps a bit more than usual. To Pikachu's embarrassment, it was starting to draw questioning glances from his friends.

Once the humans finished their sandwiches and the pokémon finished their pellets, Brock stood up and clapped his hands together.

"Okay!" he said. "Now to unveil my surprise!"

"Awesome!" Ash replied.

"In honour of Pikachu and Buneary's one-month anniversary..." A few eyes widened at the declaration and Pikachu felt his face warm. Brock reached into his backpack and pulled out a picnic basket. "I've prepared a smorgasbord of snacks!"

Everyone grinned in delight.

"(Heh,)" Buizel said, "(I'd wondered why there was less in my bowl.)"

"(Yeah!)" Pachirisu agreed. "(It's to make room for yummy afters!)"

"Heh, well you all look pretty excited," Brock said. "Let me just lay out the picnic blankets..."

* * *

"(Oh my gosh...)" Buneary said, her paws to her mouth as the food was laid out in front of them. "(Are those...?)"

"(Ha, yeah,)" Pikachu replied, seeing what she was looking at. Glancing away, he caught sight of something else. He gasped lightly. "(And is that...?)"

"Alright, everyone..." Brock said, "dig in!"

Immediately, all the pokémon went running towards their favourite foods. Pikachu, who'd had his eye on a certain ketchup bottle, made a beeline for it.

With the bottle in his arms, he gave a sigh of contentment. Yeah, this was nostalgic. Hopefully, no scyther would come along and destroy the bottle, like last time.

Popping off the lid, he lapped at the delicious condiment. It danced along his taste buds. He gave another contented sigh.

"(... Ketchup?)" Buizel asked, making him jump. "(Really?)"

Pikachu chuckled awkwardly. "(Yeah, well... you know...)" he replied.

"(Heh. Come on, let's go eat some _real_ food.)" The weasel paused. "(Pfft. Besides, your girlfriend's kind of inhaling all the rice balls.)"

Pikachu blinked. Glancing over at Buneary, he smiled exasperatedly at the sight that met his eyes. The rabbit was, indeed, sitting on the picnic blanket with a mouth full of rice ball. Huffing in slight amusement, he wandered over, Buizel following closely behind.

"(Hey, Buneary.)"

"(Huy,)" she replied, mouth still full. Chewing the rice ball some more, she swallowed.

"(You enjoying that?)"

"(Yep! It's even got red bean paste inside it!)" She tilted the rice ball, so he could see the sticky red substance inside. "(See?)"

"(Yeah.)" He chuckled at her.

"(Oh, sweet!)" Cyndaquil suddenly said from nearby. "(Spicy snacks!)"

Pikachu glanced over, pulling a face at the bowl of spiced mix that the porcupine was fast approaching. He really didn't like spicy food. It would have to be pretty delicious to convince him otherwise.

Just as Cyndaquil was about to reach the spiced mix, however, Piplup shoved him out of the way. He landed in a heap on the grass.

"(Are those gummies covered in sherbet?!)" the penguin cried. "(Mine!)"

Cyndaquil jumped to his feet, angry. "(Hey, you jerk!)" He shoved the penguin back.

Piplup scowled. "(Hey! You bigger jerk!)" He shoved the porcupine back.

"(Uncallled for!)" Cyndaquil shoved.

"(Not _my_ fault you were in the way!)" Piplup shoved.

They continued shoving a few more times before pressing their foreheads together and growling at each other.

Pikachu was ready to put down the ketchup bottle and interject when Pachirisu suddenly ran over, a huge grin on his face.

"(Sweet!)" he said. "(Sour gummies!)" Picking the bowl up, he ran away with it. "(Losers, weepers!)"

Piplup immediately broke away from Cyndaquil, looking flabbergasted. He stared for a few moments, then danced around in frustration.

"(Heyyy!)" he cried. "(Get back here with thoooose!)" He went running after the squirrel, who was laughing at him the entire time.

After a moment of watching this, everyone let out an awkward chuckle. Some things never changed...

"(Hey, guys!)" Happiny said, appearing to Buizel's side. In her tiny hands was a chocolate cupcake. "(These cupcakes are amazing! Anyone wanna try one?)"

"(Nah, I'm good, thanks,)" Buizel replied.

"(Me too,)" Pikachu replied, holding his ketchup bottle closer.

"(I will!)" Buneary replied enthusiastically.

* * *

"(Oh my gosh, these things are delicious~!)" Buneary said before inhaling another vanilla cupcake.

Pikachu watched on in amused exasperation. Though his girlfriend had taken a liking to the chocolate cupcakes, she'd gone a bit crazy over the vanilla ones. She was already on her third one.

He absentmindedly licked at the ketchup bottle, enjoying its sweet and sour taste.

"(... You're lucky no one else wants that,)" Buizel said with a smirk.

He blushed as he realised what he'd been doing. "(Oh, s-sorry...)" he mumbled.

"(I've no idea how you can eat those!)" Cyndaquil said to Buneary. He nibbled on a spicy pretzel. "(They're sho... ugh... shweet!)"

"(True that,)" Buizel said, nibbling on a stalk of celery.

"(You kidding?!)" Piplup retorted, eating a sour gummy. "( _Spicy's_ the worsht!)"

"(Yeah, I kind of agree...)" Buneary said with a sheepish smile.

"(Me too,)" Pikachu said with an equally sheepish smile.

"(Hmph!)" Cyndaquil replied. "(No taste!)"

Around a mouthful of sour gummies, Pachirisu grinned. "(S'long as it'sh not dry food, I dun care!)" he said. He pointed at the bowl of vegetables near Buizel, pulling a face. "(Like tha' yucky carrot over there!)"

Happiny giggled. "(Oh, I totally agree!)" she said. "(Though I heard they're sweeter if you cook 'em!)"

"(Eh.)"

Intrigued, Pikachu glanced over. He'd never really eaten a carrot before, but he did tend to like dry food quite a lot...

"(... You interested, Pikachu?)" Buizel asked with a smirk.

Pikachu jolted, then laughed awkwardly. "(Y-Yeah, I guess so,)" he replied.

Buizel chuckled. Grabbing the carrot, he tossed it over. "(Here, catch!)"

In a panic, Pikachu quickly put down the ketchup bottle and held out his arms. The carrot, completely misaimed, smacked him in the face. Almost everyone burst out laughing.

"(Pikachu!)" Buneary said worriedly. "(Are you okay?)"

Pikachu rubbed his slightly sore nose. "(Yeah, I'm fine...)"

He glanced down at the carrot in his paws. Well, it certainly looked quite dry. Shrugging, he took a bite. It made a satisfying crack as it broke off in his mouth. Even more intrigued, he chewed. It was crunchy, slightly sweet and oh-so very dry, with a hint of an earthy aftertaste. He swooned. Wow. Never did he think he'd find something better than ketchup.

"(Heh,)" Buizel said, "(looks like we got a winner.)"

Pikachu paused as he realised the faces he'd probably been making. He awkwardly rubbed the back of his head as his friends laughed again.

"(So, congrats on your one-month anniversary!)" Pachirisu said before inhaling another pile of sour gummies. "(Here'sh to anover monf!)"

"(Heyyy!)" Piplup cried. "(Stop eating them allllll!)" He paused. "(And yeah, congrats.)"

"(This is a nice way to celebrate, huh?)" Happiny asked with a bright smile before nibbling on a chocolate cupcake.

"(Yeah!)" Buneary replied. "(Beats the scary movie we watched last night.)"

Suddenly, interest was piqued among the group. They all clamoured for an explanation. As they turned to Pikachu, the mouse sighed.

"(Well, I thought I'd... you know, celebrate and stuff...)" he said, "(so we watched a horror movie. The... sister movie to that _Determination_ movie.)"

Piplup gasped. "(You watched its sister movie without me?!)" he cried, flailing wildly.

"(It was for the... you know, the... thing! Anyway, yeah, it had Nick and Clefairy in it, but...)"

He glanced awkwardly at Buneary, who was shuffling just as awkwardly. He looked back at his friends. Taking a deep breath, he began to explain.

* * *

"(... Wow,)" Pachirisu said, mouth wide.

"(That... sounds really awesome,)" Buizel said with a smirk.

Piplup, who was shuddering in horror, suddenly started flailing angrily. "(No, it doesn't!)" he cried. "(It's horribleeee!)" He burst into tears. "(How could they do that to that beautiful movieeee?!)"

Happiny giggled. "(Sounds fun enough!)" she said.

"(I dunno...)" Pachirisu replied. "(Sounds scary and depressing to me.)"

Cyndaquil puffed out his chest. "(I could handle it, no prob!)" he said.

"(Yeah, well...)" Pikachu replied, "(we didn't really like it much.)"

"(Yeah...)" Buneary added, shivering slightly, "(it gave me nightmares. I had to sleep with Pikachu that night.)"

Every head shot up in intrigue. Pikachu felt his face warm.

Buizel chuckled. "(Oh, you did, huh?)" he asked.

"(Y-Yeah...)" Pikachu replied for his girlfriend. "(We slept on Ash's chest and...)" Everyone sniggered, heightening his embarrassment. "(You know... stuff...)"

"(How cuuuute~!)" Pachirisu cried happily.

Happiny turned to Buneary. "(Does this mean you'll be sleeping outside your pokéball from now on?)" she asked with a smile.

Buneary paused in thought. "(Hmm...)" she replied.

* * *

Hours had passed since the pokémon's little picnic, where every scrap of food had been gratefully devoured. Even dinner had passed by in a blur. Now Ash, Dawn and Brock were calling their pokémon back into their pokéballs for the night.

Once Dawn had called away Piplup and Pachirisu, she held up Buneary's pokéball. Trainer and pokémon locked eyes.

For a few moments, Dawn didn't move. She only continued to stare at Buneary, a questioning look in her eyes. Pikachu got a strange sense of deja vu, but he wasn't sure why. Had this happened before?

Eventually, Buneary smiled and shook her head. Smiling back, Dawn lowered her pokéball.

"Huh," Brock said, "it looks like Buneary wants to sleep outside tonight."

"Yep!" Dawn replied. "So she can be with Pikachu!" She clasped her hands together over the pokéball. "Oh dear, that's so romantic~!"

Ash chuckled. "Well, alright then," he said. "Sure, why not?"

"(Hee~!)" Buneary replied.

She quickly hopped over to Pikachu and nuzzled him. Blushing, Pikachu nuzzled back. Brock immediately burst into tears at the sight.

"It's so beautifuuuul!" he cried. Pulling a handkerchief from his pocket, he chewed on it dramatically. "Why can't _I_ have that?!"

Everyone chuckled at him awkwardly before heading off to bed.

* * *

Pikachu had to admit, lying here on the grass with his girlfriend, it was certainly strange sleeping next to someone other than Ash for once. It wasn't the first time he'd done it, granted, but it was still strange.

... It was quite nice, though. Buneary's fluff was very soft and warm. Much warmer than his own. Even his heart seemed to be bursting with warmth, though that probably had little to do with the fluff.

"(... You alright out here, Buneary?)" he asked.

"(Yep, I'm good,)" she replied, shuffling closer.

"(That's good.)"

She closed her eyes. "(... Goodnight, Pikachu.)"

He smiled, closing his own. "(Yeah. Goodnight, Buneary.)"


	18. Concerns

Author's note: Heya, folks!

Sorry for the delay in chapters. I took a bit of a break from this fic, since the creative juices just weren't flowing. Turns out, all I had to do was sit down and think about the order of things a little bit, so now it's back!

In the meantime, I've been planning out 'Neo ITOD', as I like to call it, as well as working on a new PikaBun fic! I rewrote the blasted thing, like, three times, though, coz I found it rather tricky. XD I think I've gotten the hang of it now, though.

Anyway, please enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter Eighteen** **: Concerns**

A few days had passed since the picnic. In that time, not much had happened, apart from Ash's gliscor being sent away for training.

As Pikachu lay on the grass, looking up at the night sky, he wished his teammate the best and hoped he'd see him again soon. Maybe the scorpion would even be back in time for the Sinnoh League!

He glanced sideways at his girlfriend, who was fast asleep beside him. For whatever reason, she'd taken to sleeping outside every night now.

Not that he was complaining, of course. It was actually really nice. Sure, he'd sometimes wake up with morning dew on his fur - from sleeping on the grass, instead of Ash's sleeping bag - but hey. It was worth it, he'd say.

Closing his eyes, he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 _He bit into his belue berry, enjoying the satisfying crunch it made in his mouth. Chewing it, it was deliciously dry and earthy, with a hint of sweetness._

 _Above him, the sun shone with a radiant glow. Bird pokémon flew amongst the clouds, chirping happily. Looking down, he watched the wind blow the grass with a gentle breath. It was warm, but not too warm. It was just right._

 _Biting into his magost berry again, he turned to his companion, who was also eating one. It warmed his heart to see the bright smile on her face. She was enjoying the berry even more than he was._

 _It was always nice to see her smile._

 _With a smile of his own, he asked how the berry was._

 _The eevee looked up at him, a light blush on her face, and responded._

* * *

Pikachu slowly cracked open his eyes. He blinked once. Then twice.

As the memory of his dream began to creep up on him, his eyes began to widen. His panic began to rise.

Oh no! He'd dreamt about the eevee again!

Quickly turning to the side, he watched as his girlfriend, Buneary, slept soundly beside him, oblivious to his predicament.

Just what was he doing, dreaming about the eevee again?! With his girlfriend sleeping right next to him?! It had been a while since the first time, so he'd assumed he wouldn't have another one! Yet here he was, back at square one!

... Was he truly that disloyal?

He shook his head. No. No, he had no desire to cheat on Buneary! Especially with a random eevee that may or may not be one of the many he'd met before. Just which one was it supposed to be, anyway? May's? Gary's? Sakura's? All three of them had evolved by now! Into a glaceon, umbreon and espeon, respectively!

He groaned, clutching at his head. He hadn't wanted to deal with this again. He hadn't thought he _would_ be dealing with this again! He was a good boyfriend! A good one! Right?

... Right?

Too tired to think on it anymore, he closed his eyes and tried to get back to sleep. Hopefully, the dream wouldn't come back to haunt him again...

* * *

As he ate his breakfast the next morning, Pikachu couldn't help but throw concerned glances towards Buneary. His girlfriend, still oblivious to his plight, was happily chatting to Pachirisu next to her. The squirrel was explaining what had apparently been one of his funniest pranks - and Buneary was giggling in response - but Pikachu was barely paying attention.

Fortunately, the dream hadn't returned last night. Instead, he'd dreamt he'd been flying through the air, alongside a few of Ash's flying-types.

Unfortunately, the first dream was still plaguing his mind. As he nibbled on a pellet, a sudden urge to tell Buneary about it surfaced. It bubbled, aching to be released. Perhaps, if he did that, a weight would be taken off his shoulders. Perhaps he'd feel less guilty.

He'd feel just horrible keeping something like this to himself. She deserved to know the dark sins of his mind.

After all, if he'd dreamt it, surely that meant the thought was there, in the back of his mind? No matter how dormant?

Yes. He'd just have to tell her.

He opened his mouth, ready to speak.

Before he got out a single syllable, however, he paused. The last time he'd told her about his eevee dream had been a couple of weeks ago. As he recalled, she hadn't taken it very well...

In fact, the mood had dampened for most of the day back then. It had only been the following day when it had truly brightened again.

He continued to observe the bright smile on her face, his ears gradually dipping in defeat. No. He couldn't do that to her. He couldn't bring down her mood again.

He still wasn't entirely sure why it had upset her, though it was likely the same reason it was upsetting _him_.

All he did know for certain was that it was probably best to keep it to himself...

* * *

As the day wore on, Pikachu began to think less and less about the dream he'd had. Honestly, it was rather hard to focus on it, what with all the training, helping random strangers and dealing with Team Rocket.

As night fell, and the humans lay down in their sleeping bags, Pikachu snuggled up to his girlfriend. The cold night air, however, was rather chilly against his skin, not helped much by his rather thin fur. After a particularly cold breeze, he shivered slightly.

"(... Cold?)" Buneary asked.

"(Yeah...)" he replied, "(a little.)"

She paused a long moment, then eventually shuffled closer. "(Well... here.)" She gingerly pulled up her fluff and held it out to him.

He blinked at her. "(Huh?)"

"(... It's good to use as a blanket.)" After a moment, she glanced away. "(Do you wanna?)"

"(Uh... yeah, sure!)"

Slowly, he grabbed the fluff and draped it over himself as best he could. He didn't know how far it could stretch, so he shuffled closer, just to be safe.

As it covered him, he felt a wave of warmth. "(Wow...)" he said, smiling.

"(You like it?)"

"(Yeah! Thanks, Buneary.)"

She smiled tenderly at him. "(You're welcome...)"

* * *

 _Atop his trainer's shoulder, he looked out across the vast landscape. Greenery, as far as the eye could see. Trees, grass, bushes and, in the far distance, large mountains covered in even more trees. Above him, the sky was a lovely blue, dotted with only a few clouds._

 _Some commotion suddenly occurred around him. There was yelling and scrambling, then something went flying into the air._

 _He looked up at it._

 _He couldn't allow it to fall. He just couldn't! Bad things would happen if it touched the floor. He knew that much._

 _Leaping from his trainer's shoulder, he soared into the air after the object. Once he felt its solid form grasped within his paws, his body began its descent._

 _He fell an awfully long way. Perhaps ten feet, perhaps higher. He wasn't sure. All he knew was that he had to land on his feet, but the way his body was angled wasn't suitable for that._

 _Spinning into a somersault, he found the correct angle, yet somehow passed it, so he tried again. Then again. Then again. Eventually, he managed - against all odds - to land safely on his feet._

 _With a smile of victory, he turned to the brown and cream pokémon who'd been watching. Her purple eyes were wide in awe._

 _He was confused for a moment, before realising exactly what he'd done. He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment as the eevee praised him endlessly._

* * *

Pikachu slowly blinked awake. It took him a few seconds to register what his brain had just shown him. Then his eyes widened.

Three times? Three freaking times?! And twice in two nights?!

He slapped his paws over his eyes and groaned, both from tiredness and frustration. Just what was wrong with him? Why was this happening? Just who was the freaking eevee in his dreams and why was she in his dreams in the first place?

He turned over to see his girlfriend sleeping soundly next to him, her fluff no longer covering him. For a few moments, he pictured the eevee lying there instead.

Catching himself, he shook his head to clear away the thought. No! Bad! He slapped his cheeks a few times for good measure.

Cheeks now stinging, he heaved a sigh, slumping against the grass. Maybe he really _was_ a bad boyfriend, after all...

* * *

For most of the day, Pikachu found himself distracted. He'd forget for a brief time, until the moment whenever his gaze wandered over to Buneary. Then the dream would come back to him, like a punch to the gut.

Her long ears. Her brown and cream fur. Her large eyes. His mind should have always related them to _her_ , but, instead, he kept being reminded of someone else...

As the rabbit in question approached him, her smile bright, he stared into her eyes. They were brown. They'd always been brown, he knew that. Yet all he could picture were purple eyes.

"(Hey, Pikachu?)" she asked.

He snapped to attention. "(Y-Yeah?)" he replied.

"(We're starting up a game of hide-and-seek! Wanna play?)"

He forced on a smile. "(Y-Yeah, sure! Sounds good!)"

She smiled brighter. "(Great!)"

As she turned around and walked away, his smile faltered slightly. Yeah. Great.

* * *

The day wore on and guilt continued to gnaw away at the pit of Pikachu's stomach. He wanted to tell Buneary about the dream - he really did - but he'd already promised himself that he wouldn't. No matter what.

She'd been in a great mood all day and he was not about to ruin it.

He really did need to tell someone, though, or else he was going to burst. Who would he tell, though?

"Alright, guys!" Ash said. "Time to do some training!"

"(Yeah!)" everyone replied.

Pikachu, lost in thought, snapped to attention. "(Yeah!)" he added.

"So, who wants to go first?" Ash asked.

"(Me! Me!)" Grotle cried happily, trying to climb on Ash.

"Whoa! Careful there, Grotle." Ash chuckled. "You wanna go first?"

"(Yeah!)"

"Alright then. Then let's get to it!"

"Me too!" Dawn said. "Alright, who wants to go first?" There were some heavy footsteps that shook the ground as her largest pokémon approached her. She looked up at him with a smile. "Mamoswine? You wanna go first?"

"(Yes,)" he replied.

Dawn pumped a fist. "Alright! Then let's hit it!"

Mamoswine opened his mouth wide. "(Yeaaaah!)"

Cool. Training. Maybe watching that would take his mind off things.

"(Aww, man...)" Buizel said from nearby. "(Tsk. I wanted to train, but Grotle beat me to it...)"

"(Heh,)" Pikachu replied. "(Well, maybe later, eh?)"

"(Yeah.)"

They began to watch the training. All was going well and it was starting to distract Pikachu from his thoughts. That is, until he glanced across the battlefield and spotted Buneary on the other side.

She was standing near Piplup, Pachirisu, Cyndaquil and Happiny, watching the battle with much enthusiasm and cheering Mamoswine on. Her pretty face only reminded him of the eevee again...

Glancing away, he caught sight of Buizel, who was also watching the battle. Then, suddenly, he was struck by inspiration.

Buizel! Of course! Although, there was still one slight problem. Glancing around again, he tried to take note of where everyone was standing.

While Buneary's group were spread around the other side of the battlefield, Monferno, Staraptor, Croagunk and Sudowoodo were spread along one side. On Pikachu's other side, there was a strangely empty space.

Perfect!

He turned back to the weasel. "(Hey, Buizel?)" he asked.

His friend turned to him. "(Yeah?)" he replied.

Pikachu tilted his head towards the empty space. "(Can we... you know...?)"

Buizel raised an eyebrow.

"(Um... I mean... can I talk to you for a sec?)"

"(Yeah, sure.)"

He didn't move.

"(Um... I mean over there.)"

Buizel blinked. "(Huh?)" He glanced at the empty space, then back again. "(Why? What's wrong with over here?)"

"(Just... please, Buizel.)"

Buizel paused a moment, then shrugged. "(Well, alright, then.)"

Smiling gratefully, Pikachu shifted into position, away from the other pokémon, with Buizel following. With any luck, everyone else was too busy watching the battle to notice.

Once in position, Buizel folded his arms. "(Alright. So, what's up?)"

Pikachu exhaled slowly. "(Okay, well... I've been having this weird dream.)"

Buizel raised an eyebrow. "(Dream?)"

"(Yeah! I've had it, like, three times already and I'm getting worried about it...)"

Buizel fully turned to face him. "(Yeah? What kind of dream?)"

"(I was...)" Pikachu inhaled. "(Dating an eevee.)"

"(... Okay...?)"

Pikachu stared in disbelief at him. "(Yeah...)"

"(... And...?)"

"(Wh... What do you mean 'And'?!)"

Buizel shrugged. "(It was just a dream, right?)"

"(Yeah, but... I was cheating on-!)" He paused, glanced once at his girlfriend, then lowered his voice. "(I was cheating on Buneary...)"

"(Pfft!)" Buizel's mouth lifted for a second, before he forced it back down again.

Pikachu groaned, his ears dipping. "(Buizeeel... this is serious!)"

"(Sorry.)" The weasel took a deep breath, unfolding his arms. "(Look. It's just a dream, right?)"

"(Yeah... but-)"

"(And you're not thinking of doing it in _real_ life, right?)"

Pikachu's eyes widened. "(Of course not!)"

Buizel shrugged. "(Then there's no problem.)"

"(... But...)"

"(Who was it you were dating, anyway? Anyone I know?)"

"(... Not really.)"

"(Anyone _you_ know?)"

"(I'm... not sure.)"

Buizel shrugged again. "(Well, there you have it. Whoever it was, you probably just made them up, or something.)" He paused. "(Am I right?)"

... That was a distinct possibility, actually. Especially since he had no idea which eevee it even was.

"(Well... I guess...)"

"(See?)" Buizel smirked. "(And I doubt you're gonna cheat on Buneary with your own imagination.)" He snorted. "(Unless you're really pathetic.)"

That made him feel slightly better. He felt his ears rise again. "(I guess so.)"

"(So, don't worry about it, okay? You goof.)" He snickered. "(Only you would-)" He barked out a laugh. "(Only you would worry about something so stupid!)"

Pikachu's ears dipped again. "(H-Hey...)"

As Buizel continued laughing, Pikachu had to concede that his friend did have a point. If nothing else, it had lifted a weight from his mind.

He glanced back over at Buneary, who was still cheering for Mamoswine.

The thought would probably still bother him for a while, but maybe not as much now.


	19. Contemplations

Author's note: Heya, guys and gals!

Guess what? I've got a new PikaBun fic that's ready for posting! Yay! It's called **Shallow Waters** and it has no connection whatsoever to this fic. It even has a completely different Pikachu and Buneary! So do look out for that in the next couple of days and I hope you enjoy it!

On that note, I hope you enjoy this chapter, too!

P.S. This chapter also references a chapter of VGS2's fic, Game-Changer, that hasn't (at this point) been posted yet. Yay! It'll be fun when people make that connection.

* * *

 **Chapter Nineteen** **: Contemplations**

It had been several days since Pikachu's conversation with Buizel. Since then, the mouse hadn't had any more dreams about the eevee and he dearly hoped it would stay that way.

In the meantime, Ash had caught a new pokémon. A gible who knew Draco Meteor, but still had a way to go towards perfecting it. So far, every time the shark had practiced with it, it had somehow struck Piplup, though that was probably just a horrible coincidence.

"(Aheh,)" Pikachu said awkwardly, "(good job on the training today, Gible.)"

Beside him lay the smouldering body of his penguin friend.

Gible, who was blankly staring at him, didn't respond.

"(Um... Gible?)"

The shark turned to stare in another direction. "(... I'm hungry,)" he said.

Pikachu sighed. That was another problem with Gible. He was rather difficult to communicate with, at times.

It was rather strange, considering that Ursula's gabite and Cynthia's garchomp - the evolved forms of a gible - had been fairly normal pokémon. Though perhaps it was just _this_ gible that was a bit odd. He doubted they were all like this...

Ash suddenly approached, a smile on his face. "Good work, Gible!" he said. He pumped a fist. "We're gonna have that Draco Meteor mastered in no time!"

Gible slowly looked up at him, stared for a long moment, then leapt up and bit him on the head.

Ash flailed around in pain. "Argh! Gible!" He tried to pry the shark loose. "Come on, cut that out!"

Pikachu sighed again.

* * *

"(And then he bit down on Ash's head,)" Pikachu explained. He slumped in exasperation. "(... _Again_.)"

Buneary giggled. "(Oh wow...)" she replied. "(He's, uh... quite the character.)"

"(No kidding... I mean, no offence to the guy, but he's, uh... well, he's not... you know.)"

She giggled again. "(Yeah, I know.)" She paused, looking elsewhere curiously. "(Oh, speak of the devil...)"

"(Gible, what are you doing?)" Buizel asked from a small distance away.

"(... You know that's not edible, right?)" Pachirisu asked.

Sighing, Pikachu turned around. Just as he'd thought, Gible was chewing on a large rock. His drool was trailing down the side of the rock, but none of it was breaking off.

... Apparently, his teeth were better at cutting through metal than rock. If the park and Barry's bike had been any indication.

"(Urgh, darn it, Gible...)" he muttered.

Buneary giggled again. "(Oh dear...)" she said.

The sound of her giggling was somehow enough to lighten his mood. Turning back to face her, he smiled.

"(Hey, you wanna go on a date today?)"

She clapped her paws together, beaming. "(Ooh, really? I'd love to!)"

Pikachu's smile widened. "(Okay, great! I know the perfect place, too!)"

* * *

"(Wow!)" Buneary said, staring at the view in awe. "(You're right, it _is_ perfect!)"

"(Heh, thanks,)" Pikachu replied.

In front of them was a large pond, its bank lined with daisies and dandelions. The water sparkled in the afternoon sunshine and various bird pokémon were floating on the surface of it.

Directly in the middle of the pond was a tiny island with a small tree sprouting from it. Dotted around the island were some strange duck and swan pokémon that Pikachu didn't recognise. Up above, a myriad of bug pokémon were dancing around each other in a sky ballet.

It was beautiful.

"(So!)" Pikachu continued. "(How about we sit somewhere and, well... get on with the date!)"

"(Sure! Lead the way!)"

"(Okay!)" Pikachu began walking forwards, Buneary following behind him, when he suddenly spotted a nearby bush. "(Oh! Hey, do you want a snack?)"

"(Hmm? But we just had lunch.)"

"(I know, just... something small.)" He stopped walking and looked over at her. "(You know? It could be like a... dessert or something!)"

She also stopped walking to smile at him. "(Well, alright, sure.)"

He smiled back. "(Kay.)"

* * *

Sitting by the pond, Pikachu leaned against the nearest tree. Buneary, also leaning against it, sighed in contentment.

Pikachu, once again, looked out at the lovely view as he bit into his berry.

The first thing to hit his tongue was a delightful sugary sweetness. Immediately after, it was followed by a dry, chalky texture.

He swooned. Oh, legends, it was delicious.

He knew Buneary would like it, too, since she loved sweet food and didn't seem to mind dry food. It was the perfect snack for them to share.

Smiling, he turned towards Buneary. He paused at what he saw. The entire front of her mouth, inside and out, was covered in black stains.

... Oh right. It was bluk berries they were eating.

"(Pfft!)" he said, quickly covering his mouth.

She turned to him. "(Hmm?)" she asked. "(What is-?)" Her eyes widened. After a moment, she covered her mouth. "(Pfft!)"

They both tried their best to hold their laughter in, but the more they looked at each other, and saw the black stains on their mouths, the more hopeless that became. It eventually exploded out of them in a wave of mirth.

"(Oh my legends!)" Pikachu cried. "(You look ridiculous!)"

"(You too!)"

Buneary turned away in an attempt to calm down, so Pikachu did the same. Once his guffaws turned to chuckles, he chanced a look back at Buneary. Apparently, she'd done the same. The second they locked eyes again, however, more guffaws exploded from their mouths.

It kind of reminded Pikachu of the first time they'd shared bluk berries together, where a similar thing had happened. Thanks to Meowth, they'd lost track of their friends and had been wandering around a forest, trying to find them. Coming across some bluk berries on the ground, just as they'd complained of hunger, they'd eaten them and continued on their merry way. It had only been afterwards, when Buneary had asked him which way they should go, that they'd noticed the black stains.

They hadn't been able to stop laughing for around five minutes.

Once Pikachu eventually calmed down, he wiped the stains off his mouth with his arm. Looking up at Buneary, he noticed that she was doing the same, though she was looking at the grass with a really soft smile on her face.

He paused, unable to stop staring. The expression was starting to remind him of that day, many weeks ago, when she'd directed a soft smile _his_ way. Something about being proud of him. Back then, he'd thought it looked cute and that was no different now.

She looked up suddenly, locking eyes with him. "(... Something wrong?)" she asked.

He jumped slightly. "(Uh, no, no!)" he replied hastily. "(It's just, you know... you were doing the thing and it looked really... yeah!)"

She blinked, tilting her head. "(Huh?)"

He blushed. "(Uh, the... the thing... You know! With the... yeah.)"

Curses. Had he always been this bad with wording? He didn't recall being quite _this_ bad, until he'd met Buneary.

... Then again, he hadn't had much reason to get flustered before meeting her, had he? He always tended to stutter more when he was flustered.

He heaved a sigh. "(Never mind...)"

She giggled lightly at him.

* * *

That night, Pikachu lay curled up on the grass, leaning against Ash's sleeping bag with his eyes closed. Next to him lay Buneary, who was curled up into her own little ball.

He snuggled in tighter, enjoying the immense comfort of all three things brushing against his skin. The soft grass, the warm nylon and the cosy fluff. It was heavenly.

He was slowly starting to drift off when he heard a voice.

"(Mmm...)" Buneary mumbled sleepily, "(goodnight, Pikachu...)"

A tiny smile worked its way onto his mouth. "(Goodnight, Buneary...)" he replied.

* * *

 _He could hear them behind him. Their hurried footsteps chasing him. He began to hyperventilate. Who were they? What did they want with him? What were they going to do to him?!_

 _He didn't want to find out._

 _He kept running, as fast as his legs could carry him. He didn't want them to catch him. He couldn't let them catch him._

 _He was scared. So scared. He needed to get away._

 _On and on, he ran. He could hear their voices behind him. They were closing in._

 _He tried to speed up. He tried with all his might. Instead, he started slowing down._

 _His panic rose. His breathing increasing. Oh no. He was going to die!_

 _His feet felt so heavy, but he had to keep them moving. He couldn't let them catch him. He just couldn't!_

 _Why wouldn't his feet move?!_

 _He slowed to a crawl, dragging his feet like they weighed a tonne. Oh no. No! They were going to catch him for sure!_

 _His heart thudded painfully in his chest, desperately urging him forward. He couldn't stop. He wouldn't stop!_

 _He heard a branch snap. Whipping his head around, he saw them. Shadowy figures, chasing him. Closing in. He wanted to cry, he was so scared._

 _He wasn't looking where he was going._

 _He suddenly crashed into something and fell backwards, landing on the grass. His panic intensified as he looked into the face of another shadowy figure. It reached down, one hand extended._

 _He screamed._

* * *

Pikachu jolted awake. Breathing heavily, he took a quick glance around him. Okay. Okay, he was in a forest. Next to him was his trainer, Ash, and over yonder were his friends, Dawn and Brock. Turning his head, he caught sight of his girlfriend, Buneary. He breathed out slowly, relaxing as he took in her sleeping form.

Man... he hadn't had that dream in a while now. When had been the last time? He couldn't really remember.

Calming his breathing, he closed his eyes again. Good grief. Was it somewhere in his subconscious that he was afraid of shadowy figures, or something? Well, he supposed they _were_ pretty scary. They were so faceless and he could never remember what they'd said.

Perhaps they symbolised Team Rocket and how they always wanted to capture him?

Well, that would make sense if he actually found Team Rocket scary. Sure, they were annoying, but they were about the furthest thing from scary.

... Admittedly, though, it _was_ pretty scary how good they were at disguising themselves. How _did_ they manage to fool him and his friends every single time? He'd praise them for that if it didn't involve him ending up in cages constantly...

Regardless, he really didn't want to go back to sleep, only to have that same dream again. He'd probably need to calm down a bit first.

Changing his sleeping position, he looked over at Buneary again. She was currently fast asleep and gently clutching the fluff around her waist. She twitched a few times, then rolled over. He could now see her face more clearly.

He watched her for a moment, observing the curve of her mouth. His eyes travelled up the line connecting it to her pink button nose. Looking upwards, he began to watch her tiny, cream-coloured eyebrows.

Were they just as fluffy as the stuff on her waist and ears? They certainly looked like they were made from the same material.

He was tempted to reach out and touch them, but he refrained. He really didn't want to risk waking her. She looked so peaceful.

He hoped she was having some nice dreams.

He smiled to himself. She was so cute. He had no idea why he'd never really noticed it before they'd started dating. Well, he'd noticed that her _species_ was cute, but not her in general.

... Heh. If only he was this good with words _outside_ of his own mind.

Shrugging, he curled back into a ball and closed his eyes. Take two, he supposed.

* * *

 _The rain came down in buckets, soaking the landscape. Pokémon of all kinds were scurrying away, out of the downpour. Heading to drier locations._

 _Snug inside the hollow of a tree, he settled back against the bark and looked out at the forest. As disruptive as Mother Nature could be, it could also be beautiful. The way the small water droplets fell in a soft pitter-patter on the leaves. The way it rolled down them and splashed onto the grass. The slight whooshing noise when all the droplets fell together._

 _He turned to look at a passing pokémon, who was soaked through to its skin, before looking back out at the lake._

 _Drip-drop, drip-drop went the rain as it landed on the water's surface, creating tiny ripples in its wake. Up above, the clouds were dark and foreboding, but not enough to raise concern. This was no thunderstorm, thankfully._

 _Suddenly, a voice piped up from beside him, commenting on the rain. He turned to his companion sheepishly, apologising for the sudden change in weather._

 _She didn't seem to mind. In fact, the eevee seemed almost happy to be in this tree hollow with him._

 _Well, if she was, then the feeling was certainly mutual._

* * *

Pikachu cracked open his eyelids to the sounds of singing starly. He blinked a few times, looking around him. Everyone was getting up and stretching, ready to start a new day. Even Buneary.

He blinked again.

After a moment, he suddenly remembered the dream and his eyes shot open. Oh no. Not again! He'd hoped to be past this after talking to Buizel!

Apparently not, though. Instead, his subconscious was continuing to torture him with it!

He clenched his eyes shut. It was okay. It was just a dream. Just a dream. It didn't mean anything. That was what Buizel had said. A dream about a figment of his imagination.

As long as he didn't cheat on Buneary in real life, it didn't matter. Right?

... Wait a minute. Cheat.

He opened his eyes in surprise. In the dream, he hadn't even _thought_ about Buneary, had he? Why _was_ that? One would think the first person he'd think of, while dating someone, would be his own _girlfriend_. So why had she not been on his mind at _all_?

... Did she not exist in the dream world? Or had his dream self already broken up with her? Did that mean he was looking for greener pastures? Or he was going to in the future?!

Maybe his dream self was cheating on her, but didn't care at all?! Did she mean that little to him?!

He groaned and clenched his eyes shut. No. Bad. It was just a dream. That was all it was. That was all it had _ever_ been. That was what Buizel had said. He had to keep reminding himself of that.

He slowly opened his eyes again. Ash was putting on his hat, Brock was preparing breakfast and Buneary was helping Dawn apply her hair gel.

He supposed he'd better get up.

Pushing himself into a seated position, he stretched his limbs. After a few moments, though, he paused. Now that he thought about it, he'd had the eevee dream directly after having a nightmare, hadn't he? Something about shadowy figures chasing him.

Huh. At the time, he hadn't wanted to go back to sleep, in case the nightmare had returned.

... Honestly, though, looking back on it, he would have preferred if it had.


	20. Headaches

Author's note: Yo! Question time!

So, I was wondering. What are your favourite things about this fic? What are your least favourite things about it? The best kind of reviews are ones that give advice on how to make a fic better, but are sandwiched in-between compliments. That's how I always make sure to write reviews, myself. So that the writer knows what they can improve, but they still feel motivated to continue.

So, please, feel free to do just that! I can take criticisms, as long as that's not _all_ your review has to offer. Is the fic going too slow for your liking? If so, how can this be rectified? Does it not have enough action? Do you wish it would get to the point sooner? Or does it need more wacky shenanigans? More unexpected twists and turns?

And yes, I extend this to everyone's fics, not just mine.

... Okay, now that question time is out of the way, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty** **: Headaches**

It had been around a week since Ash had caught Gible. In that time, not much progress had been made with perfecting Draco Meteor, but Buizel had learned a new move. Since Ash was keen to practice both - and Dawn had a double appeal round to practice for - the humans had decided to have an appeal battle.

Pikachu, who was standing on the sidelines, yawned. Last night, he'd slept poorly, due to having a fever dream. Flashes of colour, snippets of voices, images going too fast for him to register or understand. It had been absolute chaos.

It wasn't often he had those kinds of dreams, but he really hated it whenever he did. He never felt rested upon waking up and his head always pounded relentlessly. It had taken a while for it to ease off, but, thankfully, it had. He was still rather tired, though.

"Buizel, use Aqua Jet!" Ash called out. "And Gible, use Rock Smash!"

Buizel surrounded himself in water. At the same time, Gible's fist glowed white. The two rocketed forwards, toward their opponents.

"Piplup, use Bubble Beam!" Dawn called out.

Piplup opened his glowing beak before releasing a torrent of fast-flowing bubbles. They crashed into Buizel and Gible, throwing off their attacks and pushing them back.

"Now, shoot up!"

Piplup angled his head upwards, continually firing bubbles. Except, now, they were slowing down and beginning to float in place.

"Alright, Buneary, use Ice Beam!"

Buneary opened her mouth, a pale blue orb of energy forming, before shooting out an icy beam. She turned her head sideways slightly, causing it to sweep over the floating bubbles. Then they both cut off their attacks.

The frozen bubbles, now far too heavy, plummeted to the ground, towards Buizel and Gible.

"Gible, Dig! Buizel, Sonic Boom!"

While Gible dug underground to avoid the frozen bubbles - which may have counted as an ice-type move, Pikachu wasn't sure - Buizel swung in a circle, sending a shockwave out of his tail. It hit any frozen bubbles that were about to land on him, causing them to explode in a shower of sparkles.

Dawn smiled. "Not bad, Ash!"

"Thanks, Dawn! Okay, Gible, rise up and use Dragon Pulse! And Buizel, you use Water Gun!"

As Gible popped out of the ground, he formed a turquoise ball in front of his mouth. As he fired it towards his opponents, Buizel also shot out a stream of water. It hit the Dragon Pulse from behind, propelling it forward.

"Piplup, Buneary, dodge it!"

In perfect synchrony, Piplup and Buneary pirouetted at high speed, then flung themselves in opposite directions. The combined attack struck the floor, exploding on impact.

"Wow, nice!" Ash clenched a fist. "Okay, Buizel, Aqua Jet! Gible, hop on and use Rock Smash!"

As Buizel surrounded himself in water, Gible jumped on his back, his fist glowing white. They shot towards their opponents.

"Buneary! Piplup! Hit back with Dizzy Punch and Peck!"

Buneary's ears glowed a rainbow-tinted white, while Piplup's beak glowed white and extended in length. They lunged forwards and slammed into their opponents, hitting them multiple times to push them back. It only worked for so long, before Buizel and Gible pushed past their defences. They struck their mark, sending Buneary and Piplup flying backwards.

"Alright! Now, Gible, Dragon Pulse! And Buizel, Sonic Boom! Rapid fire!"

Landing, Gible started firing off turquoise balls of energy, while Buizel continually spun around, sending out shockwaves.

"Buneary, grab Piplup and Bounce!"

Quickly grabbing hold of Piplup, Buneary jumped into the air, avoiding the shockwaves. However, she landed on one of the turquoise balls. It rang out with a strange noise. She jumped to the next, which rang out with a slightly different pitch. Dawn looked surprised.

"Huh?" she asked.

"Alright, Gible, time to crank it up! Use Draco Meteor!"

As Buneary and Piplup landed on the ground, Gible's body began to glow orange. Forming an orange ball, he shot it into the sky. Curious, Pikachu angled his head upwards to watch it. Would it work this time?

As the ball of energy reached its peak, it was supposed to explode into a shower of meteors, which would come crashing down to earth. Instead, it made a popping noise and fell in a zigzag pattern.

Pikachu heard a shriek. Looking down, he saw Piplup shove Buneary to one side and run away, desperately trying to escape the Draco Meteor. Like a homing missile, however, it somehow followed his every movement, until it eventually hit him and exploded on contact. He was left a smoking mess on the ground.

... Pikachu smiled awkwardly. He really didn't want to believe Gible was doing this on purpose, but one did have to wonder sometimes...

Ash chuckled. "Sorry, Piplup!" he said. "Not what I wanted to do, but I guess it still worked out, huh?"

"Very funny, Ash!" Dawn scolded lightly.

"(Urrrrgh...)" Piplup replied woozily.

* * *

Having decided to let Gible and Piplup sit out the appeal battle for now, Ash and Dawn continued with just Buizel and Buneary.

"Alright, Buizel, time to practice Ice Punch!" Ash called out.

Concentrating hard, Buizel caused his paw to glow pale blue. He ran at Buneary, aiming to jab her with it.

"Dodge it, Buneary!" Dawn called out.

Buneary hopped backwards, barely dodging each thrust of Buizel's paw. Pikachu watched intently, almost holding his breath in anticipation. Buizel was aiming for Buneary's heart. The last time he'd struck a pokémon in the heart with this move - namely, Clayton's mr. mime - he'd been taken down in a single hit. The move was powerful and so was Buizel. Combine that with a heart strike and Buneary was in trouble.

"This is bad..." Dawn said. "Buneary, Dizzy Punch!"

Buneary's ears started to glow a rainbow-tinted white. Swinging one of them around, she slammed it into Buizel's paw. The weasel flinched. Not one to back down, though, he pushed back. They were locked in a stalemate.

Then Pikachu saw it. Ice was starting to climb up Buneary's ear. She flinched from the cold.

"More force, Buizel!"

"Buneary, don't give in!"

They pushed harder. The ice continued to creep up Buneary's ear at an agonisingly slow pace. Both she and Buizel were gritting their teeth, concentrating hard. Each one desperately trying to overpower the other.

"... Alright, guys, lunch is ready!" Brock called out.

"Awesome! Food!" Ash replied, immediately distracted.

"Okay, guys, great work!" Dawn said. "Now let's break for lunch!"

Immediately, the pokémon halted their attacks.

"(Argh!)" Buneary yelped, grabbing at her frozen ear. "(Cold, cold, cold...)"

"(Pfft!)" Buizel said with a smirk. "(That's a good look for ya.)"

She pouted at him. "(Not funny...)"

He sniggered, walking away. Pouting harder, she hopped over to where Pikachu was.

"(Hey, good job in the battle!)" Pikachu said.

"(Thanks... though my ear's kinda unusable for a while.)"

"(Yeah, shame... though I'm sure it'll thaw out.)"

Suddenly, Monferno appeared by the rabbit's side. "(Hey, need any help with that?)" he asked.

Buneary smiled in relief. "(Oh, would you?)" she asked. "(Thanks.)"

"(Uh...)" Pikachu said, "(I'm not sure if that's a good-)"

Monferno blasted out a stream of fire from his mouth, straight at Buneary's ear.

A loud scream rang out across the campsite.

* * *

Buneary was still pouting as they ate their pellets, her unrolled ear singed black.

"(... Does it still hurt?)" Pikachu asked.

"(A little...)" she replied.

"(Aww...)"

"You did really great, Dawn!" Ash said from nearby. "A little more practice and you'll totally nail that appeal performance!"

"Thanks, Ash!" Dawn replied. "Though I'm thinking maybe the bubbles shouldn't fall..." She paused in thought. "If I can get them to stay floating... then maybe do something with _that_... Oh and then there's that other thing, too... Maybe I could do something _there_..."

"Heh. I'm sure you'll figure it out."

"Yeah! No need to worry!"

"(Heh,)" Buneary said. "(You know, sometimes I'm glad I'm mostly used for appeal rounds.)"

"(Yeah?)" Pikachu asked.

"(Yeah...)" She stretched her ear, flinching slightly. "(... Though it might be nice to battle more, I guess...)"

"(Heh. Maybe you should join Ash's team, then.)"

"(Heh, maybe.)" There was a comfortable silence for a short while as they ate their pellets. Eventually, Buneary spoke again. "(... This next contest should be fun.)"

"(Yeah! And hey, if Dawn perfects her combos, you'll earn your fifth ribbon!)"

Buneary brightened. "(Hey, yeah! And then we can enter the Grand Festival!)"

"(Yeah!)" Pikachu clenched a determined fist. "(You're gonna win it, for sure.)"

Her eyes sparkled. "(You think so?)"

"(Heck yeah! You'll beat out Zoey, Kenny, Ursula... even Nando! Dawn will be a top co-ordinator and you'll be a... well... a top... thing?)"

Buneary giggled. Pikachu rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"(I get ya, though. Thanks! I'll do my best!)"

He lowered his paw. "(You'll do better than your best! You'll blow 'em away!)"

Buneary balled her paw. "(Yeah!)"

Suddenly, Pikachu remembered something. Smiling, he seized the opportunity and grabbed one of his pellets.

Buneary blinked at him. "(Huh?)"

He lifted the pellet into the air. "(To victory!)"

She beamed. Grabbing one of her own pellets, she lifted it into the air and tapped it against his. "(To victory!)"

Nearby, Grotle chuckled. "(So corny...)" he muttered.

Blushing, Pikachu rubbed the back of his head again with an awkward chuckle. Buneary giggled in amusement as they lowered their pellets.

Grotle shook his head, still smiling, and turned away.

Pikachu slowly lowered his other arm, still a little embarrassed. "(S-So, yeah... like I said... you're gonna shine!)" Buneary blinked at him. Motivated, he continued. "(Shine brighter than a star. Than a... a constellation! Than-)" He paused as he noticed her suddenly look sad. He blinked. "(Buneary?)"

She shook her head rapidly, then smiled. "(Y-Yeah! Shine! That's what I'm gonna do! For sure!)"

Now he felt concerned. "(... Are you okay?)"

"(Yeah! Of course!)"

"(... Are you sure?)"

"(Yeah.)"

He contemplated pressing the issue. In the end, he chose to drop it.

"(... Well, okay...)"

There was a slight pause. "(... S-So, anyway! Your eighth gym battle's coming up soon, too, right?)"

"(Y-Yeah, it is!)"

"(And then, after that, it's on to the Sinnoh League!)"

"(Yeah!)"

"(Good luck! Though I know _you're_ gonna... shine, too!)"

The pause had been strange, but he chose not to question it. "(Th-Thanks.)"

She balled a paw again. "(Go and help Ash become a league champion!)"

Mimicking her, he also balled a paw. "(Yeah! For sure!)"

She held up a pellet. "(To victory!)"

He held up his own and tapped it against hers. "(To victory!)"

"(Oh, for crying out loud...)" Mamoswine mumbled in annoyance from nearby.

Pikachu felt embarrassed for the third time that afternoon.

* * *

That night, Pikachu lay snuggled between his girlfriend and his trainer, content and comfortable. After last night's fever dream, he was looking forward to some well-deserved rest. Buneary was already drifting off and he was sure to follow her soon.

Eventually, he felt his consciousness float away on the cool night air.

* * *

 _Images, images. So many sounds. Sounds, sounds, sounds and words. Words. Words. Colours. Blue, green, yellow, brown, black. More sounds. Colours._

 _Pain? Drain? Teaser? Easter?_

 _Images, images, images..._

* * *

Pikachu drew a sharp breath as he awoke. Breathing deeply, he looked around him. Forest. Okay. Forest was good. It meant stability. It meant sane. It meant normal.

Why was his head so cold? He reached up and rubbed a paw against it. It was wet. Cold sweat?

Inhaling deeply to calm his nerves, he dropped his head back onto the grass. Only now did he realise that his head was hurting.

Wow. Another one, huh? That had been the second fever dream in two nights. What was wrong with him?

... Maybe he'd been working too hard. Or maybe it was from the stress. After all, he still occasionally worried about his eevee dreams and what they meant. If they meant anything at all.

To have replaced them with _this_ , though...

Which dreams were worse?


	21. Hauntings

Author's note: Howdy hey!

Chapter 21, coming at'cha! Anything you like, dislike, think I could improve on, feel free to comment!

In fact, feel free to do this on everyone's fics! Nothing's more motivating than positive comments with a little sprinkle of healthy critique!

With that said, though, I hope you enjoy the chapter! Stay social and spread the fic love! Motivate all your favourite writers!

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-one** **: Hauntings**

A few days - thankfully free of fever dreams - later, Dawn and her team were in incredibly high spirits. Recently, they'd won the Daybreak Town contest, beating Ursula and Jessilina to earn their fifth ribbon.

Their ticket to the Sinnoh Grand Festival.

They all looked so excited, talking and smiling amongst themselves. Even Piplup and Cyndaquil - who would normally fight over the smallest things - were being civil to one another. Friendly, even!

Not that Pikachu could blame them. They were in the big leagues now. They'd passed all the small tests and were moving on to the grand finale. The reason they'd been winning these ribbons in the first place.

Not to mention, it would be their first time doing it, too.

He could remember the first time _he'd_ entered a Pokémon League, way back in Kanto. He'd been so nervous, yet so incredibly excited. Being able to pit his skills against the best of the best had been daunting, yet thrilling.

He'd gotten used to the feeling now, but it was no less exciting for him.

Heck, he could remember what it had been like watching all of his old teammates experiencing it for the first time. The 'finale thrills' as he liked to call it. Whether it had been a Pokémon League or a Grand Festival, it was always great to see them experience it.

He remembered May's skitty being more hyperactive than ever, practically bouncing off the trees in her excitement. He remembered Ash's torkoal crying more, in a strange mixture of happiness and fear. He remembered Ash's bayleef being restless, pacing constantly and determined to impress her trainer.

There were so many more memories, but those were the ones that had stuck out the most. Now, though, it was Dawn's team's turn to experience those feelings.

Somehow, Pikachu never got tired of seeing the excitement for himself.

"(Ooh!)" Pachirisu said excitedly. "(I wonder what Dawn will have us do in the Grand Festival!)"

From where he lay on the grass, Mamoswine smiled down at the squirrel. "(Beats me,)" he replied.

"(So many combos! So little time.)"

Mamoswine chuckled. "(Yeah.)

"(Should be fun seeing who she picks!)" Buneary said, beaming.

"(There's too much awesome in this one team alone!)" Piplup said, pounding a flipper on his chest. "(She'll have trouble deciding!)"

"(You got that right!)" Cyndaquil agreed.

Pikachu couldn't help but chuckle. "(Well, whoever she picks, I know you'll do great,)" he said.

"(Hee, thanks~!)" Buneary said, hugging him and nuzzling into his side. He blushed happily at the contact.

"(Hmph,)" Piplup said proudly, "(of course we will. Our team is top-notch!)"

"(Topper than top notch!)" Cyndaquil agreed.

"(The toppest of the... top notch?)" Mamoswine added, blinking in confusion. He shook his head. "(Yeah.)"

"(You know what we need, though?)" Pachirisu said.

"(What's that?)" Buneary asked.

"(A sixth team member! Dawn's never had six pokémon on her team.)"

Buneary blinked. "(Yeah, I guess not.)"

Piplup pouted. "(Hmph,)" he said. "(If Ambipom had stuck around, she would...)"

"(Eh, we don't need another one!)" Cyndaquil said, puffing out his chest. "(We can take on the Grand Festival, no prob!)"

"(Yeah!)" Pikachu agreed, smiling. "(You guys have got this in the bag.)"

"(Thanks, hon~)" Buneary replied.

Pikachu blinked. Before he could question the odd nickname, however, she suddenly licked him on the nose.

He froze and his face exploded in heat.

The rest of Dawn's team burst into a fit of chuckles.

"(Oh, good legends...)" Piplup said.

"(Should we leave you two alone, then?)" Mamoswine asked.

"(N-No, it's cool!)" Pikachu replied hastily. "(It's just, you know... a thing! A thing that's... you know... a thing! A _good_ thing!)"

"(I'm sure it is...)" Pachirisu said.

Buneary's face reddened, too. "(S-Sorry, was that too much?)" she asked, turning to look at Pikachu.

"(N-No!)" Pikachu replied. "(It's, you know... like the _other_ thing! Back at the start! Remember?)"

"(Huh? The start?)"

"(Yeah! When we first got together and then you... you know!)"

She blinked. Then blinked again. Then a look of realisation crossed her face. "(Oh! Right. The... the last time I licked you.)"

Dawn's team chuckled harder.

"(Y-Yeah. It's like that. It's good.)"

"(Oh, okay.)" Buneary ducked her head in embarrassment. "(Good.)"

The chuckles increased.

Also embarrassed - yet secretly pleased at the same time - Pikachu awkwardly rubbed the back of his head.

His face was still burning, long after their chuckles had died down.

* * *

That night, Pikachu lay on his back, staring up at the stars. Soon, he'd be competing in the Sinnoh League. He couldn't wait. First, though, they had to win their upcoming gym battle in Sunyshore City.

He was so excited at the thought, he wasn't sure he'd be able to sleep. He wasn't even sure if Ash would use him in the gym battle, but, if he didn't, that was okay. He was just as excited to cheer his friends on.

His girlfriend snuggled into his side as she muttered goodnight. With a smile, he returned the gesture.

It was a while before he drifted off, himself.

* * *

 _He walked along, a spring in his step and a smile on his face. The sun was shining, casting glowing golden beams of light onto the surrounding landscape. He stopped to sniff a pink daisy, enjoying its sweet fragrance._

 _Continuing onwards, he passed bushes and trees, eventually coming across a cave. He paused, uncertainly, at its entrance._

 _He called inside to see if anyone was there. There was no response. He tried again. Still, there was no response._

 _He took a few tentative steps forward._

 _His eye caught sight of something moving. He halted in his tracks. After a moment, the figure - an eevee - poked its head out from the cave._

* * *

Pikachu's eyes cracked open. He blinked a few times. Upon remembering the dream, his eyes opened wider. Oh no.

They'd come back.

He glanced sideways at Buneary in concern, then forced himself to look away again. No. He had to remember that it wasn't what it seemed. It really wasn't. It was just his mind messing with him. That was all it ever was.

He just had to remember that. He just had to.

* * *

The following day, the pokémon did some training. Because of the blazing sun, however, the humans decided to cut it short, leaving the pokémon to their own devices.

Buneary, sitting on the grass, fanned herself with her paw. "(Wow, it's really hot today...)" she said.

Pikachu, sitting next to her, slumped onto his stomach. "(Yeah... no kidding...)" he replied.

"(Ugh...)"

After a few moments, Pikachu's frazzled brain remembered something. Glancing up, he looked at his girlfriend.

The lower half of her body was covered in fluffy, cottony fur. He cringed. That stuff must have been murder in this heat.

What would a good boyfriend do...?

"(Last one in the water's a rotten pecha berry!)" Pachirisu called out from in the distance.

"(Hey, no fair!)" Piplup yelled. "(You got a head start!)"

"(You snooze, you lose!)" Buizel replied, laughing.

"(Oh, come on!)" Monferno called out. "(This is just unfair!)"

"(Yeah!)" Cyndaquil cried. "( _Super_ unfair!)"

"(Cursed typing...)" Sudowoodo said, sounding slightly sad.

... Water, huh?

Pikachu turned to look at his girlfriend. She was wafting her fluff in a desperate attempt to cool herself down.

"(Hey, Buneary?)" he asked.

She turned to look at him. "(Yeah?)" she replied.

"(Wanna go for a swim?)"

* * *

"(Ahhhhh...)" Buneary said, a contented smile on her face as her head bobbed above the water. "(Now this is more like it...)"

"(Ha, yeah...)" Pikachu replied, treading water near her. "(Much cooler...)"

Buneary hummed in agreement. After a moment, she gave him a sincere smile. "(Thanks, Pikachu.)"

"(Oh, aheh. I didn't do anything, really. I just heard someone else mention the water and, well... you know.)"

"(Yeah, but still.)"

He felt something warm in his chest at her gratitude. "(Heh.)"

Suddenly, Piplup and Buizel - who appeared to be racing - barrelled past them. A wave of water crashed over Pikachu. He floated there, shocked and completely soaked.

"(Pfft!)" Buneary covered her mouth.

He gave her a mock frown. "(Hey...)"

"(S-Sorry... you just... Pfft!)"

Pouting, he flicked a bit of water at her. She stopped laughing and her eyes widened in shock. For a moment, he wondered if that had been too mean...

She pouted and flicked some water back at him. Okay, she didn't seem to be mad. That was good. Testing the waters, he flicked a bit more water.

Her smile widened. Then she giggled. "(Oh, so you wanna play that game, huh?)"

He gave a determined smile back, challenging her. "(Yeah, sure.)"

"(Well, okay then!)"

She dipped her paw in the water, quickly making a scooping motion. A wave of water flew from her paw and crashed over him. He shrieked in mock horror.

"(My turn!)" he cried, copying the scooping motion.

A wave of water crashed over Buneary. She also shrieked in mock horror.

Laughing, they continued this for a while.

* * *

The night air was, thankfully, much cooler. Pikachu didn't think he'd have any trouble sleeping, even pressed up to Buneary's side. His chest area was warm and cosy on the inside. It was a lovely feeling.

He must have really been getting used to dating Buneary. He was pretty sure he hadn't felt this good over a month ago, when they'd first gotten together. Back when he'd been giving her a chance.

It felt really nice. So nice, in fact, that he wasn't sure he wanted it to go away.

Contented, he closed his eyes.

* * *

 _A large figure loomed over him, completely blanketing him in shadow. Its eyes glowed a dangerous shade of red._

 _All bravado he'd felt before was gone. Drained away like leaves being washed down the river. He cowered, trembling in fear._

 _The figure spoke. Said things he didn't understand. Things that made no sense. He couldn't think straight. The fear was consuming._

 _He wanted to run._

 _There was a sudden whimper from behind him. His eyes widened in realisation._

 _Gritting his teeth, he took two steps to the left. Still trembling, he looked directly up at the figure and protectively held out his arms._

 _The figure snarled at him._

 _Then another figure appeared, this one much smaller. It said something. The larger figure grunted in response. After a few tense moments, the two figures turned around and left._

 _He let out the breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. After gathering his bearings, he turned to look behind him._

 _The eevee gave him a grateful smile._

* * *

Pikachu blinked awake. After a moment, his eyes widened. Oh no. Again?!

This was just a coincidence. Yeah. That was all it was. This meant nothing. Nothing at all.

He was just over-thinking it.

Yeah. That was it.

* * *

The following day, the pokémon were playing hide-and-seek. This time, Pikachu had chosen to hide behind one of the trees. He hoped it was a good enough hiding place that Cyndaquil wouldn't find it, though one could never be sure.

A better place would have been in the branches of the tree, but one rule said they had to stay on the ground. That way, it was fairer to those who had difficulty climbing trees.

He waited.

After a short while, someone else ducked behind the same tree.

He blinked. "(Buneary?)" he whispered.

She looked at him in surprise. After a moment, she giggled quietly. "(Oops, sorry,)" she replied.

He smiled, shaking his head in slight exasperation. "(It's okay.)"

Giggling again, she gave him a hug. His insides exploded with warmth.

"(Are you staying here?)" he asked.

"(Nah, I'd better not,)" she replied.

He felt oddly disappointed by her answer.

She let go of him. "(I'm gonna go find somewhere else, so I don't get you caught.)" She gave him a quick wink. "(See you later.)"

"(Yeah, bye.)"

She hopped away. He watched as she eventually disappeared amongst the bushes and trees.

There were a few moments of silence, where a strange sense of loneliness hung in the air.

He tried to shake it off and focus on hiding.

* * *

That night, Pikachu snuggled into what had become his usual spot between Ash and Buneary. His best friend and his girlfriend. The two most important people in his life. At this point, it was difficult to imagine life without _either_ of them. They were deeply ingrained in him and he was okay with that. Happy, even.

He placed a hand on Buneary's fluff, enjoying its warm, cottony feeling. Smiling, he snuggled closer.

* * *

 _He was nervous. Very nervous. He couldn't stop fidgeting. His heart rate was going a mile a minute. His brain, the same speed._

 _He approached, offering a gift._

 _His face was burning. He spoke slowly, carefully, weighing every word. Once he was finished, a pair of eyes widened. First in shock. Then in delight._

 _Smiling, he took her paw in his own. The eevee smiled back at him._

 _Slowly, gently, they tapped their noses together in a gesture of affection._

 _Pulling away, though, something was off. Her smile was gone, replaced by dejection. His own smile fell as he asked her what was wrong._

 _Buneary frowned sadly. She asked him how he could do this to her._

* * *

Pikachu jolted awake. After a few moments of getting his bearings, it suddenly hit him.

Oh no.

Again. It had happened again! Three times in three nights! Eevee dreams - so many Eevee dreams - and this one had been the worst one yet!

He glanced sideways at Buneary, who was lightly smacking her lips as she slowly woke up.

Her face. He'd seen her face in the dream. Right where the eevee's had been. It had looked so sad. So disappointed in him.

His panic levels started rising.

He quickly shook his head. No. No! No matter how many Eevee dreams he had, no matter how in-depth the dreams were, it wouldn't change anything, right? He was over-thinking it!

Yeah. Yeah! He was definitely over-thinking it!

... He just had to be.


	22. Alarms

Author's notes: Hey there, folks!

We're on the big two-two for chapters! How exciting! It's not the end, though! There's plenty more where this came from!

Hope you enjoy the chapter! It was a fun one to write!

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-two : Alarms**

Around a week passed and Pikachu's brain hadn't given him a single break. Eevee dream after eevee dream after eevee dream. Every night. Sometimes more than once. It was starting to drive him insane. Just what was his brain trying to tell him?!

He'd tried to ignore it. He really had. Buizel had said to, after all. Why were there so many now, though?!

In the meantime, a lot had happened with the travelling group. Monferno had become an infernape, Piplup had learned Hydro Pump and Grotle had both become a torterra and learned Leaf Storm.

Ash had tried his hand at winning the Beacon Badge, but, thanks to Team Rocket, the battle had been postponed. So now, instead, they were on their way to the Grand Festival at Lake Valor.

Despite the constant eevee dreams, Pikachu tried to stay optimistic. As his heart continued to weigh down with guilt, he kept on smiling. Because, eventually, he was sure the dreams would fade away. All he had to do was be patient.

"(Alright!)" Piplup announced. "(I suggest we play tag!)"

"(I'm game!)" Pachirisu replied, jumping up and down.

"(Me too!)" Buneary agreed.

"(Yeah, sure,)" Buizel replied, "(why not?)"

"(Great!)" Piplup said, puffing out his chest.

"(Last one to the open field's a bad egg!)" Pachirisu cried, racing off through the bushes.

Everyone immediately started running after him.

"(Come on, Pikachu!)" Buneary said excitedly. "(Let's go!)"

Pikachu chuckled. "(Okay,)" he replied.

His girlfriend hurriedly hopped away, disappearing though the bushes.

Feeling less enthused than he'd like, he walked over, slowly parted the leaves and stepped through.

An eevee's face stared back at him.

He jumped backwards with a loud yelp.

"(Oh, hi there!)" she said, beaming. She. Female. "(Quite the commotion going on. Are you playing a game?)"

His brain had frozen.

Oh no.

No.

No no no no no no.

She blinked at him, tilting her head. "(Are you okay?)"

A cold chill ran all the way down his body. This couldn't be happening. Why was she here?!

Many times, he'd seen that face in his dreams, but to see it in front of him? Now?!

She waved a paw in his face. "(Helloooo!)"

A coincidence. That was all it was, right?

Right?

Right?!

"(Uhhhh, anyway... can I play with you guys? I'm new around here and haven't made any friends yet, so I thought-)"

"(I'm not dating you!)" Pikachu suddenly yelled out. He clamped a paw over his mouth.

Eevee blinked. Then she looked confused. "(Uhhh...?)"

"(Um... I mean... I have a... well, a girlfriend, so...)"

"(... Good for you? But I never _asked_ you to date me. I only just met you...)"

Heat flooded Pikachu's face. "(Well...)"

"(... Is that your way of saying 'hi' or something?)"

"(Um...)"

She shook her head. "(You're weird.)" After a moment, her smile returned. "(So, can I play with you guys?)"

"(... Yeah. Sure.)"

"(Great, thanks!)" She skipped away to where the others were.

Pikachu just stood in place, dumbfounded.

A coincidence. This just had to be a coincidence. It couldn't be anything else. Because, if it _wasn't_ , then...

His eyes widened. Oh no. What if all of his eevee dreams had been premonitions? What if they'd been warning him of the future? Of _today_? Of the day he and Eevee would meet face-to-face?

His heart rate began to skyrocket. Oh no. Did that mean that...?

Was this the eevee he was going to cheat on Buneary with?!

His breathing came in panicked gasps. How would it even happen?! _When_ would it happen?! _Why_ would it happen?!

No. No. He was overreacting. Surely. Buizel would probably laugh at him if he could see him now. He needed to remember that he was over-exaggerating!

He took a few deep, calming breaths.

Once his heart rate had fallen back down to its normal speed, he slowly walked in the direction the others had gone.

* * *

"(Alright!)" Piplup said. "(Eevee, you can be 'it'. Wait for around ten seconds while the rest of us run away.)"

"(Okay!)" Eevee replied.

"(And... go!)"

Everyone bolted away from Eevee.

After a full ten seconds passed, the fox was suddenly on the move.

One by one, she tagged the pokémon out. It seemed she had Run Away as an ability, because she was very fast. About as fast as Pachirisu, who she struggled to catch.

Then she turned her sights on Pikachu.

Powering his four feet with Quick Attack, he ran as fast as his limbs could carry him. With every step, he could hear her gaining ground behind him. Gritting his teeth, he tried manoeuvring around at ninety-degree angles.

He was on his third turn when something suddenly slammed into him, knocking him to the ground. He rolled along the grass, before coming to a dead stop on his back. Eevee lay on top of him, a victorious grin on her face.

She wagged her tail happily. "(Gotcha!)" she said.

A cold chill ran down his spine, his eyes growing wide.

She blinked down at him. "(Wow, you really don't like being caught, huh?)" She smiled. "(Well, no worries!)" She jumped off him, then offered him a paw. "(Here. I'll help you up.)"

Oh no. This was playing out like one of Dawn's cheesy romance comedies!

He tentatively grabbed her paw, allowing her to pull him up. Once he was on his feet, she let go.

"(Good job, though!)" she continued. "(You're pretty fast!)"

"(Thanks...)"

"(Well, I gotta go catch your friends, too.)" She turned around. "(Catch you la-)" She paused, then laughed at her accidental joke. "(I mean, _see_ you later.)"

"(Yeah. See ya.)"

She raced off. He could do nothing but stare at her retreating form.

* * *

At dinnertime, Brock - having noticed the group's tagalong - laid out an extra bowl for Eevee. Buneary immediately chose the bowl next to her.

With gritted teeth and a stiff spine, Pikachu sat next to them. He slowly picked up a pellet and started nibbling on it.

After eating a few of her own, Eevee beamed to herself. "(Mmmm!)" she said. "(Wow, these are delicious!)"

Buneary smiled. "(I know, right?)" she replied. "(Brock made them. He's a really good cook!)"

"(Brock, huh?)" Eevee glanced over at the humans. "(Which one's that again? The squinty one?)"

Buneary giggled. "(Yeah, that's the one!)"

"(I see... and which one's _your_ trainer?)"

"(The girl. Her name's Dawn!)"

"(Okay... and the other one?)"

"(That's Ash. He's _Pikachu's_ trainer!)"

"(Ah, okay!)" Eevee turned back to Buneary. "(Is it fun having a trainer?)"

"(Yeah! I get to do contests, where you make all your moves pretty and sparkly and... stuff.)" She paused, blinking. After a moment, she shook her head and continued. "(Anyway, Pikachu gets to do gym battles, which... is just plain battling, really.)" She turned to Pikachu. "(Right?)"

Pikachu jolted. "(Uh... yeah!)" he replied hastily. "(Right!)"

Buneary turned back to Eevee. "(Have _you_ ever thought about having a trainer?)"

Pikachu froze halfway through biting into a pellet.

"(Well, I guess I considered it a few times!)"

... Oh no.

"(Well, you could join one of _our_ teams~)"

Oh no.

"(Maybe even Dawn's! She does need a sixth pokémon!)"

Oh no!

Pikachu suddenly swallowed, causing the debris of the chewed pellet to slide down the wrong hole in his throat. He hacked and coughed.

Buneary gasped. "(Pikachu! Are you okay?)"

"(Y... Yeah...)" he replied. He coughed once more to clear his throat. "(I'm fine...)"

"(Careful with those pellets,)" Eevee said.

"(Y-Yeah...)"

"(... Anyway, thanks, but nah. I'm not looking for a trainer at the moment.)"

Pikachu looked up, a sense of utter relief washing over him.

Buneary pouted slightly. "(Aww, really?)" she asked.

"(Yeah. One day, maybe, but not now.)"

"(Aww. Well, okay then.)"

They continued eating in silence for a short while. To Pikachu, the lack of conversation was suffocating. Buneary and Eevee, however - from what he could tell - didn't seem to mind it.

"(So, uh...)" Buneary said. Eevee looked up in intrigue. "(You can evolve into lots of things, right? Lots of... you know...)" She blinked.

Pikachu blinked. Was Buneary starting to sound like _him_?

Eevee chuckled. "(Yeah, I can!)" Her eyes suddenly shone with excitement. "(And I really wanna be a jolteon!)"

"(A jolteon?)"

"(Yeah! I've always had a huge thing for electric-types!)" Eevee turned to grin at Pikachu. "(Like your boyfriend over here.)"

Pikachu felt his heart stop dead in his chest.

"(Oh really?)" Buneary asked curiously.

"(Yep. Yellow's my favourite colour. Plus, creating thunderstorms? What's not to like, right?)"

Eevee's gaze hadn't faltered from Pikachu at all. He felt his blood run cold.

Buneary giggled. "(I guess you've got me there.)" She paused. "(And how did you know he was my boyfriend?)"

Eevee finally turned to smile at her. "(Oh, lucky guess.)"

Buneary giggled again. "(Was it that obvious?)"

"(A little.)"

Conversation continued as they ate their pellets. Pikachu took one small bite at a time, not really feeling hungry anymore.

* * *

After dinner, the pokémon played for a while longer, until the humans started setting up camp. At that point, Eevee turned to the group.

"(Well, I guess I'd better go,)" she said. "(Thanks for letting me hang out with you today!)"

"(Oh, no problem!)" Buneary replied.

"(Pity we can't play more!)" Pachirisu said.

"(Them's the breaks, huh?)" Buizel said.

Eevee giggled. "(Yeah,)" she replied. She turned around. "(Well, see you guys around!)"

"(Bye!)" almost everyone said as Eevee dashed away.

The only exception was Pikachu. He continued to watch her as she left, wondering. Had the time passed? Was he safe? Was the premonition not going to come true, after all?

Was he... not going to cheat on Buneary?

He desperately hoped so.

* * *

That night, Pikachu couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned, this way and that, long after everyone else had fallen asleep.

Every time he closed his eyes, he could see her face. Not Buneary's, like he wanted. No. Eevee's.

She wouldn't leave his mind.

Had he truly escaped fate? Surely, it couldn't be that easy...

He'd run through every possible scenario. How it would happen. When it would happen. Why it would happen. There were so many possibilities. So little time.

Suddenly, he heard a noise. Snapping open his eyes, he glanced away from the camp, where he'd heard the sound.

His eyes widened as he saw the same eevee from before walking past.

Oh no. Was this a sign?! Was this where it would happen?!

He could just let her go. Let her walk past, get on with whatever she was doing and everything would be fine, right?!

... Wait. Just where _was_ she going this late at night?

He watched the empty space where he'd seen her for a short while. He contemplated. Stay here and continue trying to sleep, or follow her?

Well, he was getting pretty frustrated with the lack of sleep. Plus, he couldn't deny he was curious...

Then again, there was also the prospect of finally putting all of this to rest...

... Dang it all.

* * *

Through some bushes and up a slight incline, Pikachu found her.

Eevee was sitting by herself, staring up at the stars. When she heard him approach, she turned around in surprise. After a moment, she smiled.

"(Oh hey, it's you,)" she said.

"(Yeah...)" he replied, "(hi...)"

... Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe he shouldn't have come here. Had his curiosity ruined everything?!

"(What are you doing up?)"

"(Um...)" He couldn't exactly say he'd been thinking about _her_ all night. A shudder ran down his spine. Oh no. The first sign... "(I-I could... you know, say the same...)"

She chuckled. "(Yeah, you got me.)" She looked back up at the stars. "(I was just looking at the stars. I didn't get to see 'em much where I _used_ to live.)"

That made him curious. "(Oh yeah?)" He slowly walked over and sat next to her, though not too close.

"(Yeah. I lived in a wooded area near my parents. One day, though, I thought... 'I wanna go elsewhere!'... so here I am. I love looking at the stars every night.)"

He looked up. With it being a fairly clear night, many white sparkles dotted the darkened sky.

"(Sometimes I see constellations, too!)" she continued. "(None tonight, though...)"

"(Yeah...)" He, himself, could see a distinct lack of constellations.

There was a long pause. "(... You know, it's kinda scary.)"

Surprised, he looked over at her. Her long ears were lowered. "(Huh?)" he asked.

She looked back him, her purple eyes sad. "(Being away from Mom and Dad. I've... not been here long, so I haven't made any friends yet and I-)" She paused. "(It's scary.)"

He blinked at her. After a moment, he composed himself and smiled comfortingly. "(Hey, it's okay. It's _always_ hard at first.)" He scrambled for something else to say. "(... Heck, _I_ was alone for a _really_ long time after my trainer released me.)"

She blinked back at him. "(Huh? But you _have_ a trainer.)"

"(Not _that_ one, another one.)"

Her eyes lit up in realisation. "(Oh.)"

"(And I didn't even _have_ a family, so...)"

"(You didn't?)"

"(Nah. But _now_ look at me! I have _lots_ of friends! So, hey.)" He smiled brighter. "(If _I_ can cope with all that... then so can you! And you have it easier! I assume, anyway... You'll get lots of friends and... and you won't have to be scared anymore! Plus, you can always visit your mom and dad, right? So you'll be fine.)" He nodded. "(Yeah, you'll be just fine.)"

She blinked at him again. "(... Huh.)" She beamed back at him. "(You know, you're not so bad, _after_ all!)"

He gave her a confused look. "(Huh?)"

She stood up. "(You were acting a bit weird when we met, but... you're a really nice guy.)"

Walking over, she began to nuzzle her face against his cheek. His eyes snapped all the way open, his spine suddenly stiff. His blood ran so cold, it was almost ice.

"(Uh?! Wh-What are you doing?!)"

"(Thanking you. You've made me feel a lot better.)" She pulled away, still smiling. "(You know, I wondered before, but... now I can see why your girlfriend likes you.)"

He started to shudder, unable to respond. His heart was pounding. His mouth was dry. Alarm bells were ringing in every corner of his brain.

"(A... Aheh...)" That was all he could manage in response.

Eevee gave a pleased hum. "(Well, it's getting late. I should get to bed. See you around.)" She walked past him, her tail brushing against his face. He could feel every excruciating fibre. "(And thanks again~!)"

"(Y-Yeah... No... problem... Bye.)"

"(Bye~!)"

With a dash of her Run Away, she was gone.

Pikachu didn't move from the incline for an agonisingly long time.


	23. Pieces

Author's note: Heya, peeps!

Well, it turns out that this update landed on the fic's two-year anniversary! Huzzah!

Now, normally, I don't bother with anniversary stuff, coz I don't... honestly like reminding myself of how long it took to write a fic... _but_ , since Yaboi Gengarboi pointed it out (and this chapter just happened to be next, lucky me), consider it an anniversary gift, I guess! XD I mean, you would've gotten it anyway, but now it's, like, extra special! Or something!

I know it's shorter than usual, but it just felt like the correct place to end it. So... prease undastand. *bows politely*

Regardless, I hope you enjoy the chapter! Because I certainly enjoyed writing it!

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-three** **: Pieces**

The next morning, Pikachu's head felt heavy. His eyes stung and his whole face felt like it was dragging across the floor.

"(... Are you okay?)" Buneary asked, a paw placed worriedly over her mouth.

"(Y...)" Pikachu began, but decided against lying. He heaved a sigh. "(No. I... didn't sleep well...)"

She gave him a sympathetic look. "(Oh... you poor thing...)" She paused for thought. "(Well... maybe you can... take a nap on Ash's shoulder, or something.)"

"(Yeah... maybe...)"

In all honesty, he felt like trash. Absolute, utter trash. His rendezvous with the eevee the previous night had left him in such a state that he simply hadn't been able to sleep. Every time he'd closed his eyes, her face would be there, in the darkness behind his eyelids, smiling back at him. Taunting him. Tempting him.

He felt horrible.

* * *

As the humans continued on their journey, Pikachu lay slumped across Ash's shoulder. Just what was he going to do now? He'd been a terrible boyfriend. The worst boyfriend. He didn't even know the boyfriend code, but he was sure he'd broken every rule of it.

He slid down onto Ash's backpack and carefully turned himself around. Laying his head against the back of Ash's neck, he stared up at the sky.

He kept on staring, focusing on a single cloud formation. The gentle wind slowly pushed it at the top one way, then at the bottom another way. It continued this until the cloud formed a shape.

... It looked kind of like an eevee.

Pikachu looked at it in despair.

* * *

After a while of walking, Pikachu had decided to rest his eyes a bit. He drifted on the edge on consciousness, shapes and voices around him that he wasn't sure were real or not.

Some spoke to him, but he chose not to respond, just in case.

"How about we stop here for lunch?" Brock asked.

"Sounds good!" Ash replied. The bed that Pikachu was lying on suddenly moved. "Hey, Pikachu, you doing okay, buddy?"

Pikachu blinked. He blinked again. His eyes were heavy and the light was so bright. He clenched his eyes shut again.

"Looks like you woke him up, Ash," Dawn scolded lightly.

Ash chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry, buddy."

"(S'okay...)" Pikachu mumbled in response.

* * *

Pikachu had been left to rest against a rock, while everyone else prepared dinner. He would've helped, but he was still far too tired.

While he was mid-yawn, he caught sight of Buneary, who was helping to place out the food bowls. She looked up, catching his gaze, and offered a comforting smile and wave.

She was telling him to get better soon, wasn't she?

Something painful twisted in his stomach. Forcing on a smile, he waved back.

* * *

"(Are you feeling better, Pikachu?)" Buneary asked before biting into a pellet.

"(Y-Yeah!)" he replied. "(Yeah... I'm...)" He stared down at his own pellet, his appetite failing him.

"(... Pikachu?)"

Even staring at this pellet in his paws was reminding him of the eevee. Reminding him of his sin.

He looked up into the concerned eyes of his girlfriend. Those beautiful brown eyes. Then he envisioned someone else with her brown fur. Her cream fluff. With purple eyes, instead of brown.

... He couldn't take it anymore.

"(H-Hey... Buneary?)"

She blinked. "(Hmm?)"

"(C-Can I... talk to you for a minute?)"

"(Sure. What is it?)"

"(N-No, not... well, I meant... you know...)" He glanced elsewhere, then back at her.

She blinked a few times. "(Um... do you want...)" She frowned in concentration. "(To talk to me somewhere else?)"

He smiled lightly. Wow, she was actually starting to understand him now. That was honestly rather bittersweet.

"(Y-Yeah. That's what I meant.)"

She smiled brighter. "(Oh, okay! Yeah, sure. We can talk in private. After I eat, okay?)"

"(Yeah. Sure.)"

She nibbled on her pellet. He tried to nibble on his own, but his stomach disagreed with it. Pulling a face, he put it back in the bowl.

She stopped eating to look up at him. "(... Not hungry?)"

He heaved a sigh. "(... Not really.)"

She looked concerned. "(Aww...)" She paused a moment. "(Well, I'll only be a minute, okay?)"

"(Sure, take your time.)"

* * *

After Buneary had finished eating, Pikachu - abandoning his own meal - took her to a secluded area away from the campsite. They were surrounded by bushes and it was fairly quiet.

"(So,)" Buneary asked, giving him a small smile, "(what's up?)"

He was tired. So tired. The lack of sleep had him fatigued, his head pounding and his heart aching. His ears dipped as tears began to cloud his vision.

"(Pikachu?!)" she cried.

"(... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry...)" He put his paws over his eyes. He was so sick of it all. All the hurt, all the fear. "(Sorry for... everything...)"

"(... Huh?)" He heard her shuffle closer and felt a paw touch his shoulder. "(... What do you mean?)"

He lowered his paws slightly, but couldn't look her in the eyes. "(I... can't take it back... I can't take _any_ of it back...)"

"(Take what back?)"

The tears pooled ever faster in his eyes. He tried to respond, but his throat locked up on him.

"(... Pikachu?)"

"(I...)" He looked up at her. "(I...)" His voice cracked upon seeing her face. His whole heart felt like it was tearing itself apart. The tears spilled from his eyes and down his cheeks. "(... I cheated on you!)"

Buneary froze.

There was a long moment of silence.

Very slowly, she drew her paw away. Then, with a voice that was unnaturally quiet, she asked him a question.

"(... What?)"

He couldn't look at her anymore, so he covered his face again. "(I'm so sorry! I... I didn't mean to! I just... it just sort of happened and then...)"

He heard her taking slow footsteps away from him. "(You...)"

His heart broke even further. "(I never wanted to! But... but... ohh, I never even _thought_ about you when we... we...)"

"(How... how could you?)"

"(I don't know! That's the thing, I... don't know!)"

"(Wh...)" Her voice suddenly rose in a frantic pitch. "(What do you mean you don't know?!)"

"(I don't know! It just happened and I... I didn't stop it... I _couldn't_ stop it!)"

There was a long, agonising silence.

With a wavering voice, Buneary finally spoke. "(Wh... When did this happen?)"

Oh no. Oh legends, no. She was crying, too, wasn't she?

He wasn't just the worst boyfriend. He was the scum of the earth.

"(W... Well...)"

"(And... wh... who was it?)" She paused to sniffle. He still couldn't bear to look at her. "(S... Someone on the t-team?)"

"(... No.)"

"(... No?)"

"(No.)"

"(Th-Then who was it?)"

He paused a long moment, steeling himself to respond.

"(... Pikachu?)"

"(... Eevee.)"

"(Huh?!)"

"(... It was Eevee! Okay?! It was... Eevee...)"

The tears began running down his face anew. His shaking legs no longer able to hold him, he chose to sit on the grass, his face still buried in his paws.

"(E... Eevee... Y-You mean-?!)"

"(Yeah... Yeah...)"

"(So...)" Her voice cracked horribly, tearing another hole in his heart. "(So yesterday, you...)"

"(Yeah...)"

"(And... and it just... happened?!)"

He closed his fingernails around his face. "(Yeah...)"

"(But... but why?!)"

"(I dunno! I... I dunno! It's been going on for... for weeks now, but-!)"

"(Wait, weeks?!)"

"(Yeah... weeks...)" He sobbed lightly.

"(But... I thought...)" She paused a long moment. "(So she's been...?)"

"(Yeah...)"

There was a long, awkward silence between them. The only sound was her sniffling and his light sobbing.

Eventually, she cleared her throat. Through a wavering voice, she spoke to him. "(I...)" She paused and tried again. "(... M... Maybe this isn't... working out, after all...)"

His paws flew away from his eyes in shock. He immediately regretted it when he saw her face. Her eyes were pained and her cheeks stained with tears.

He lowered his voice to a horrified whisper. "(... What?)"

She turned away, biting her lip as fresh tears spilled from her eyes. Her voice was a higher pitch than normal. "(I don't think this is working out...)"

He felt the inside of his chest go stone cold. "(No... n-no...)"

She completely turned her back to him. "(... M... Maybe it's best if we...)" She paused a long moment. "(Well, you know...)"

"(No, ple-")"

He suddenly realised that he had no right to beg. No right to plead. He deserved this. All of it.

He clamped his mouth shut.

"(... Th... Thanks for everything, though... Pikachu...)" She paused, as if to say something else, but decided against it.

Instead, she turned and headed off in a direction that wasn't towards camp.

He watched her as she left. Every agonising step. Eventually, she disappeared from sight.

Looking down at the grass, he placed his paws to his face, fresh tears threatening to fall.

What had he done...?


	24. Realisations

Author's note: Heya, gang!

Wow, we're up to chapter 24 already, eh? You know, the most amount of chapters I ever wrote for a fic was 33. I wonder if I'll surpass that one day? I hope so. Maybe even with this fic, who knows?

Regardless, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Also, I'm posting this on my birthday! :D Drama for my birthday? Best present.

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-four** **: Realisations**

He'd ruined it. That's what he'd done.

He'd taken something fun and happy and beautiful and wonderful... and he'd ruined it.

Pikachu continued to sob, his paws covering his face. He'd never wanted this. He'd never wanted to do something so horrible and he'd never wanted to hurt her.

... Yet he had.

Why, why, why couldn't he have stayed loyal?! Every dream he'd had about the eevee... why couldn't they have been about Buneary, instead?! Why?! And then the eevee from yesterday... he knew he shouldn't have followed her, shouldn't have gone anywhere alone with her. Yet he had. They'd shared a special moment together under the stars.

... He was horrible. So very horrible. The look on her face before she'd left him, it'd been full of hurt. Full of betrayal.

A stab of pain went through him. He was the one who'd caused that hurt.

Digging his fingernails into his face, Pikachu sobbed harder.

He was scum.

* * *

Eventually, the sobs died down. Thoroughly worn out, Pikachu stared solemnly up at the sky, watching the clouds drift by.

He saw one that looked like a parasect. One that looked like a wurmple. One that kinda resembled a dragonite.

... Though pretty, they did nothing to improve his mood.

He heaved a sigh, his heart weighted down with sorrow and his head heavy with fatigue. He was so tired. So very, very tired.

Far too drained to sit up any longer, he chose to lie on his back, instead.

* * *

A while passed, but Pikachu still hadn't slept. He couldn't.

Instead, he'd continued staring at the clouds. Currently, he was staring intently at a large cloud, only partially wondering if it looked like anything. Honestly, he didn't really care anymore...

It was then that he suddenly heard footsteps. Fast ones. Clumsy ones. Ones getting louder. Closer. Intrigued, he turned his head, the soft grass brushing against his cheek.

In the distance, Piplup was running towards him. Partway, the penguin tripped and fell on his face. Undeterred, he stood up again and continued running.

Accepting his fate, Pikachu heaved a sigh and sat up as his close friend approached.

"(Pikachu!)" Piplup cried, looking frantic. "(Pikachu!)"

"(Hi, Piplup...)" Pikachu replied.

Piplup skidded to a stop next to him. "(Is it true?! Please tell me it isn't truuuue!)"

Pikachu looked down at the grass in shame, but said nothing in response.

"(You... you...)"

Pikachu clenched his eyes shut.

Piplup's voice wavered. "(You and Buneary really broke up?)"

Pikachu opened his eyes, looking up at the penguin in surprise. "(... Huh?)" That wasn't what he'd expected him to say at all. "(Well... yeah...)"

"(What?! You did?!)" Piplup flailed around frantically. "(Why did you go and do thaaaat?!)"

"(... Did... _she_ not tell you?)"

"(No! All she said was that it was 'for the best'! For the best, my butt!)" Tears started shining in the penguin's eyes. "(You two were really good for each other and now this happened? What... what happened?!)"

The look on Piplup's face tore a new hole into Pikachu's heart. Not only had he upset Buneary, but now he was upsetting everyone else, too.

He looked back down at the grass, saying nothing.

"(... Well?!)"

Pikachu clenched his eyes shut. "(I... did something horrible, Piplup.)"

"(... What?)"

"(Yeah, I... I did something unforgivable and now... now...)"

"(Huh?)" There was a pause. "(Buddy, what happened?)"

"(I ch... ch-cheated on Buneary!)"

There was a long stretch of silence. "(... Wait, what?!)"

Pikachu bowed his head lower, still not opening his eyes. "(Yeah...)"

There was another pause. "(No. No, no, no, this can't be right! No, there's no way that's true!)"

"(It is, Piplup...)"

"(No! You're just messing up your wording again! You must be! There's no way you'd cheat on Buneary!)"

The words stung like acid. Oh, if only that was true...

Slowly, he cracked open his eyes and looked up at the penguin. "(N-No, Piplup... I... I did.)"

Piplup flailed around angrily. "(No, stop messing up your wordiiiing!)"

Pikachu shook his head. "(I'm not. I know I _normally_ don't... you know... do the wording thing very well... but...)"

"(Yeah, see?! See?! You're just messing it up again! Like the last time you two broke up!)"

The last time. Back when he'd worded his confession poorly. Oh, he remembered, alright. However...

"(Yeah, but... this time, I know what I said... and I... _meant_ what I said.)"

Piplup blinked at him. "(... Huh?)"

"(I cheated on Buneary! With Eevee!)" He crinkled his face in despair. "(The... the one from... you know, yesterday...)"

Piplup stared at him for a long moment, saying nothing.

Eventually, the penguin's eyes widened in horror. "(Oh, legends, you're serious...)"

Pikachu looked back down at the grass. "(Yeah... I am.)"

"(... Wh... Wh... H...)" Piplup started flailing again. "(How could you do that to Bunearyyyy?!)"

"(I... I don't know!)" Pikachu felt his eyes water again. "(It just happened, Piplup!)"

"(What do mean 'it just happened'?! Stuff like that doesn't 'just happen'!)"

"(I don't know!)" He grabbed his head, which felt like it was full of television static. "(I don't know... I didn't... I mean... It wasn't supposed to... Argh!)"

"(I can't believe you!)" Looking up, Pikachu could see that Piplup's eyes were watering, too. The penguin scowled at him. "(You... you... you barely knew that eevee! And... and you've known Buneary for... for what?)" He started flailing again. "(Many freaking months?!)"

His paws still on his head, Pikachu looked back down at the ground. "(Y... Yeah...)"

"(And... and been dating her for two?!)"

"(... Yeah.)"

Piplup took a few slow steps backwards. "(I... I... I can't believe you!)" He scowled deeper, his eyes shining in hurt and betrayal. "(I thought you were a nice guy!)"

That was almost the same look that Buneary had given him...

His paws fell miserably down to his sides. He couldn't even provide a response.

"(You...)" Piplup's voice cracked as he spoke. "(You and Buneary... you had something good... Wh... Why did you ruin it?!)"

"(I... I don't know...)"

Piplup ground his beak in annoyance, tears spilling from his eyes. After a few moments, he took off running.

He never once looked back.

* * *

... They'd had something good. That was what Piplup had said.

Back to lying on the grass, Pikachu continued to stare up at the clouds. He was still so tired. His eyes stung. So did his head.

... But neither as much as his heart.

He continued to lie there, in no mood to move. He'd probably drag himself back to camp later - to much scorn, he was sure - but, as for now...

His tired mind, still buzzing from stress, couldn't help but think back. Back to simpler times. Happier times. Times before the train wreck of today.

... They'd had something good...

Yeah. Piplup had certainly been right there. He couldn't deny that.

They'd gotten along so well. Plus, Buneary had always been supportive in everything she'd done.

Whenever he'd had a battle coming up, she'd praise him. Encourage him. Give him a boost of confidence. It had always made him want to do the same in return.

Whenever they'd talked about the Sinnoh League, she'd always been quick to tell him that he'd do well. She'd basically been his personal cheerleader. The one that had helped him try that little bit harder.

... She'd always had a way of making him feel special.

Kind of like the time he'd been recovering from a very rough battle at Lake Acuity...

* * *

 _As Buneary approached Pikachu, she made a move to hug him. He flinched, gritting his teeth and bracing for pain. After a moment, she seemed to think better of it and held back._

 _He sighed in relief._

 _Covered in bandages and band-aids, he and the rest of Ash's team were still very sore from their battle with Paul's team. Despite that, though, they were in good spirits. Especially since they'd just disposed of Team Rocket for the day._

 _"(Good to see you're feeling better!)" Buneary said with a smile._

 _"(Yeah,)" Pikachu replied, smiling back. "(Thanks.)"_

 _Her smile turned concerned. "(Does it still hurt?)"_

 _He chuckled sheepishly. "(Yeah... but it's okay. I'm sure I'll be fine again in no time.)"_

 _"(I hope so...)" She brightened up again. "(Hey, did you like our little circus act?)"_

 _"(I sure did!)" He laughed. "(It was pretty funny.)"_

 _"(Hee~! Glad you think so!)" Her smile softened. "(Dawn did it to cheer Ash up. She said he was feeling down after the battle.)"_

 _"(Yeah, he was... though he cheered up again when he saw we were okay!)"_

 _"(Oh, that's good!)"_

 _"(Yeah. He got all fired up and ready to train again!)"_

 _"(Cool- Wait... he did?)" She paused, looking disappointed. "(So we didn't_ _ **need**_ _to do the act?)"_

 _He floundered. "(W-Well... I guess you... didn't_ _ **need**_ _to do the thing... but I'm glad you_ _ **did**_ _do the thing... 'cause... I think it helped... you know?)"_

 _"(... You think so?)"_

 _"(Y-Yeah! I do!)" He put his paws to his chest earnestly. "(It made_ _ **me**_ _feel better.)"_

 _She looked surprised. "(It did?)"_

 _"(Yeah! You can pull some really funny faces.)"_

 _She brightened. "(Oh... really?)"_

 _"(Yeah! So... thanks for that.)"_

 _She blushed, beaming warmly at him. "(Hee~! No problem~!)"_

 _Strangely, something jumped in his chest at that._

* * *

Pikachu's eyes crinkled in despair. She was so kind. So caring.

... He didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve any of it. He knew that.

Especially now...

Yet she'd always been there for him. She'd cried when he'd told her his backstory. She'd defended him when a phione had lashed out at him. Heck, she'd even saved his life when they'd first met, despite not having any reason to.

... He didn't deserve her at all.

He paused, still watching the clouds. Even so, dating Buneary had been some of the best weeks of his life. Heck, maybe even the best. Little came close, really.

All of the hugs and nuzzles, all of the nose licks...

All of the laughs they'd had...

All of the romantic dates they'd been on...

Her incredibly playful nature and how she'd lightly tease him for things...

... Heh. That oddly reminded him of the day a strange machine had made him get a little too attached to Piplup...

* * *

 _"(So,)" Buizel said with a smirk, "(a little birdie told me what happened today.)"_

 _Pikachu's face burned. Darn it, Piplup. "(Well...)" he replied, "(it was the... you know, the thing! That thing that did the... thing...)"_

 _Pachirisu popped his head out from behind Buizel. "(I didn't know you were into_ _ **that**_ _, Pikachu!)" he said with a grin. "(Hope Buneary doesn't find out!)"_

 _Pikachu's eyes widened._

 _"(Pfft!)" Buizel said. "(Yeah, maybe it's_ _ **Piplup**_ _he wants to date, instead.)"_

 _"(N-No!)" Pikachu cried frantically. "(I-It was all the thing! You know, the... the machine! The electric/water machine! It made us do that!)"_

 _Pachirisu giggled again. "(Suuuure it did!)" he replied._

 _"(I-It did! I-I didn't_ _ **wanna**_ _do that!)"_

 _"(Do what?)" Buneary suddenly asked from his side._

 _He jumped, turning to face her. "(Oh... h-hi, Buneary...)"_

 _"(You heard the news?)" Buizel asked._

 _"(About the machine thingy?)" Pachirisu asked._

 _A light seemed to go off in Buneary's head. "(Oh!)" she replied. "(Yeah, that. I heard about that...)" She looked in Pikachu's direction._

 _Panic rose within him. "(I-It's not what it looks like!)" he stammered. "(I mean, not what it sounds like! Or, not what it_ _ **is**_ _! I mean-!)"_

 _Buizel and Pachirisu sniggered behind him._

 _"(Piplup!)" he continued. "(See, he's good! He's great! M-My best friend, besides Ash! I hugged him and stuff... and it was nice and all, b-)" He paused as he saw her start to snigger, too. "(... Huh?)"_

 _"(What, you're cheating on me with Piplup?)" she asked. "(Is that it?)"_

 _Buizel and Pachirisu cracked up behind him._

 _He stared at Buneary in disbelief. "(... Wh-What?! No! I-I would never-!)_

 _She giggled. "(I'm kidding, I'm kidding!)" She smiled at him. "(I heard about the machine from Piplup. He wouldn't stop complaining about it... and how it took away his free will, or something.)"_

 _"(... Oh.)" His face heated up again._

 _Stepping closer, she gently tapped him on the nose with her paw. "(You worry too much~)"_

 _A warmth spread out from his heart at the touch. "(... Y-Yeah. I guess I do...)"_

* * *

... Heh. It was ironic, in a way. That day had been not long after his first eevee dream. He'd managed to convince himself that the dream had meant nothing, only to accidentally cheat on her anyway. With Piplup, of all pokémon.

He hadn't meant to. The machine had made him. Even so, maybe it had just served to prove how disloyal he was. How she deserved far better than him.

Acid burned in his ribcage. It twisted, convulsing into painful knots that brought tears to his eyes. He wanted to be a good boyfriend. He did. More than anything in the world. All he'd ever wanted was to make Buneary happy. Because she deserved it.

Because...

* * *

 _"Oh, how cute!" the café employee said. "Are you two on a date?"_

* * *

... Because...

* * *

 _"Oh, I knew it! You look so in love~!"_

* * *

Because...

... He loved her.


	25. Talks

Author's note: Heya, guys! Happy New Year!

Not much else to say here, so I hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-five** **: Talks**

... Wow. He'd really just thought that, hadn't he?

Pikachu stared up at the sky, surprised at himself.

He'd thought it. The big 'L' word. The word of ultimate loyalty, affection and commitment. He'd just thought it.

Love.

... Could it really be true? The first time it'd been brought up, he'd denied it. The second time, too. Now, though?

He continued to stare at the slowly drifting clouds.

He thought about Buneary. Her smiling face. Her infectious laugh.

Love...

He wanted to try saying it out loud.

"(Love...)" he murmured to himself.

A strange feeling spread over him. One of... freedom? Relief? As though a heavy burden had been lifted from his heart. Like air had finally filled his lungs. Like the shackles of doubt had finally fallen off.

Huh. Was this what love felt like?

... Although... why did it feel so cold? Wasn't it supposed to feel warm, like when he'd realised he liked her? Warm and cosy and fluffy? Wasn't it supposed to make him feel... happy?

As a cloud above him started to form the shape of a buneary, he crinkled his eyes at it in despair.

... No. He knew why it felt cold.

It was because of him...

This was one of those occasions to celebrate. A milestone in his life. A feeling that he'd never experienced before.

... As far as he was concerned, though, there was nothing to celebrate.

He sighed, his eyelids slowly growing heavier. Maybe he should rest his eyes a bit. It couldn't hurt, he supposed. When even did he last sleep? Quite a while ago...

Closing his eyes, he felt his consciousness begin to drift. It was like floating in an endless void. Like something was sucking him in. Taking him to a warm place. A comforting place. A place with fluffy blankets and hot cocoa. A place of peace...

Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching.

Opening his eyes to drag himself out of the abyss, he forced himself into a sitting position. He sighed again, turning to address the one who was closing in on him.

"(Oh, hey, Bui-)" Something smacked him on the back of the head, launching him forwards. "(Ow!)" He held a paw to the sore spot as he looked up at Buizel. "(What did you do that for?)"

Buizel folded his arms. "(Either you've done something _really_ stupid...)" he replied, "(or you've messed up your wording. Again.)"

Pikachu rubbed at the sore spot, glaring very lightly. That had hurt, but he supposed he deserved it.

"(So,)" Buizel continued, "(wanna tell me what happened?)"

Pikachu looked down at the grass. "(What's there to explain? I cheated on Buneary.)"

"(Tsk. Is that _really_ what happened?)"

"(Yeah. With the eevee and the...)" He looked up at him. "(You already heard it from Piplup, right?)"

Buizel rolled his eyes. "(Well, yeah, but you know how he is. Crying and freaking out all over the place. So I wanna hear it from _you_. What did you do?)"

Pikachu looked back down. "(Well... I did the thing... the bad thing that I-)"

There was another sharp pain to the back of his head. "(No more word fudging. Buneary's depressed, Piplup's in tears and Pachirisu's trying to cheer them up. Just tell me straight.)"

Pikachu heaved a sigh, rubbing at the sore spot. He took a moment to form his words carefully.

"(I... had a... No. I... kept having... Wait.)" He thought about it some more. His head was buzzing, so it was hard to think straight. "(... Okay. Remember that dream I had?)"

"(... Hmm?)"

"(The one about the eevee?)"

There was a pause. "(... Oh! Yeah, I remember now.)"

"(Yeah. Well... it kept happening. Over and over and over and over again... It wouldn't stop...)"

"(... Yeah?)

Pikachu looked up at Buizel's confused face. "(Then I...)" He paused. Somehow, this was hard to put into words. He cheated on her with a dream? He saw the eevee in real life and spent time with her? Why did it sound so trivial in his head?

"(... Yeah?)" Buizel prompted again.

Pikachu stared at Buizel, dumbfounded by his own thoughts. "(Uh...)" He looked down at the grass in embarrassment. "(Well... the eevee yesterday... She was... probably the one from the dream and...)"

There was a long stretch of silence.

"(... Wait, you...)" There was another pause. "(Is this the same thing as last time?!)"

Pikachu looked up at Buizel's disbelieving gaze. "(W-Well, yeah! Except there was a lot... you know, more! And it was more... you know!)"

Buizel slowly put a paw to his own face. "(... You think you cheated on her with a dream again.)"

"(Well... yeah, but... no, but... it's different!)"

Buizel heaved a sigh. "(How's it different?)"

"(Well... the real one! She... We nuzzled and...)"

Buizel lowered his paw to peek over it at him.

Pikachu continued. "(A-And only me and Buneary nuzzle!)"

"(... What about Ash?)"

Pikachu faltered. "(Yeah, well...)"

"(Urgh!)" Buizel slapped both paws to his face. "(You didn't do anything at all with her, did you?)"

"(... Well...)"

"(Any licking? Holding paws? Dates? _Anything_?)"

"(... Yeah, in the dreams...)"

"(Urgh! Alright, that's it!)" Buizel forcefully grabbed Pikachu's paw and yanked. Pikachu yelped as he was pulled to his feet.

"(You're gonna go straight to Buneary and explain this to her. Right now.)"

Pikachu's eyes widened. "(Right now?)"

"(Right now.)" Buizel began to pull him along, but then he stopped. "(... Actually, that's a bad idea. You'll screw it up. Just stick with me and _I'll_ explain it.)"

"(But-)" Pikachu yelped again as he was forcefully pulled along.

* * *

As they reached the campsite, every head turned in their direction. Some faces were confused, some were sceptical, others looked angry. Pikachu felt himself shrink under their gazes.

Undeterred, Buizel pushed on through the crowd. Everyone stepped out of his way.

Even the humans were here, kneeling on the grass and offering comfort where they could.

Then Pikachu saw her. Sitting on Dawn's folded legs.

His heart stopped in his chest.

Both of Buneary's ears were drooped as low as they could go. Her face was covered in tear stains and she looked very lifeless in Dawn's embrace.

The humans looked surprised to see them approach.

"Pikachu!" Ash said.

Buizel threw Pikachu in front of him and shoved him forwards. Pikachu looked at him tiredly. Did he really have to be so forceful?

Dawn looked confused, but Brock had a knowing look on his stern face.

The breeder stood up. "I think we should leave Buneary alone to talk to Pikachu," he said.

Dawn turned to him. "Huh?!" she asked. "But-"

"Trust me, Dawn. I don't know what happened, but I get the feeling they need this." He held out his hand. "Come on."

Dawn heaved a sigh. "Alright." She looked down at the rabbit. "Will you be okay, Buneary?"

Buneary looked at Pikachu. His breath caught in his throat as their eyes locked.

"(Yeah... I'll be fine...)" Buneary replied, not cracking a single smile.

"... Well, okay then." Carefully, Dawn placed her on the grass. Grabbing Brock's hand, she pulled herself up. "Come on, everyone."

Everyone cast one last glance at Pikachu - some with more hostility than others - before they all started moving away.

"Hope everything goes well, Buneary!" Ash said, giving her a smile.

"(Thanks...)" Buneary replied.

Pikachu's heart began to tear again. Painfully.

As Ash was walking away, he paused, looking over his shoulder. "... You coming, Buizel?"

Buizel shook his head. "(Nah, gotta stay here,)" he replied.

"Oh. Well, okay then! Hope it goes well!" He turned and left.

Eventually, once the area was cleared of everyone but Pikachu, Buizel and Buneary, Buizel heaved a sigh.

"(Alright...)" he said, "(first, we gotta clear this up.)" He jabbed a thumb in Pikachu's direction. "(This one's an idiot.)"

Buneary merely looked up at the weasel sadly. Something burned like acid inside Pikachu's chest at her expression.

Buizel's arm dropped to his side. "(... Look. I'm here to speak _for_ him, since... well, he's gonna screw it up on his own, let's be honest.)" He folded his arms. "(Alright, well... I dunno what he told you, but all this junk about cheating on you? It's not true.)"

Her eyebrows creased in confusion. "(Huh?)" she asked. "(But...)"

"(Yeah, I know. He said it himself. Then Piplup came over screaming about it. Yeah. But... see, that's just it. It's _Pikachu_. He's an idiot. He says things he doesn't mean. A lot.)"

"(N-No, but... he _meant_ this. I... I saw it in his eyes.)" She locked gazes with Pikachu, knocking all the breath from his lungs. "(He... he was...)" She lowered her gaze to the floor. "(... And I guess... if he likes that eevee more than me, then...)"

Okay, now it felt like his insides were being crushed. Violently. By a machine.

"(N-No, I-!)" Pikachu cried.

"(Hey, hey, hey,)" Buizel said sternly, placing a paw on his mouth. "(I said no talking.)" After a moment, he continued. "(So yeah. It's not true.)"

Buneary looked up at him. "(But... but he's been seeing her for weeks, Buizel...)"

"(Yeah, in his dreams!)"

"(... Huh?)"

"(Yeah. He told me once that he'd dreamed about an eevee and asked if that was 'cheating on you'... but then he kept having them, apparently, and _this_ happened.)"

"(... Wait, what?)"

"(Yeah. Then he met the real one and... I guess freaked out?)" Buizel looked to Pikachu for confirmation.

Pikachu nodded slowly.

Buizel sighed, removing his paw from Pikachu's mouth. "(Was it even the same one?)"

"(I...)" Pikachu started. He contemplated saying yes. That he was sure it was. That it must be, because destiny was leading him to this fate. The truth, however, kept staring him in the face. "(... I dunno.)"

Buizel shrugged. "(See? He _thought_ it was, but... it probably wasn't.)"

There was a long pause from Buneary. Slowly, her eyes widened. "(Eevee...)" she muttered. She looked up at Pikachu. "(... Didn't... you mention one _before_? Some time ago?)"

Pikachu paused for thought. He blinked as a memory surfaced. Oh yeah. The first time he'd had an eevee dream, he'd told her about it. Her getting upset over it had been the reason he hadn't told her again.

"(Yeah...)" he replied.

"(Was... that the same thing?)"

"(Y... Yeah...)"

Buizel sighed again, folding his arms. "(So, yeah, you see?)" he said. "(This idiot didn't cheat on you at all. He had way too many dreams, got paranoid and...)" He glanced at Pikachu. "(Got no sleep, by the looks of it.)"

Buneary looked up at Pikachu in wonder. "(... Is that true?)" she asked.

Suddenly, Pikachu felt like scum again. He hadn't cheated on her at all, had he? He hadn't done anything wrong at all.

He'd upset the girl he loved over nothing.

He lowered his head in shame. "(... Yeah...)" he replied, "(I'm sorry...)"

There was a long stretch of silence.

Eventually, he started to hear something. Was... that chuckling?

He lifted his head to see that, yes, Buneary was laughing. He stared at her in disbelief.

She caught sight of his expression and laughed harder.

... What?

Calming down, she slowly got to her feet, still chuckling slightly. Taking one step forward, then two, she decked him in the shoulder with her paw.

The force jolted him backwards with a yelp. He held the sore spot. "(Ow...)"

"(You're... such an idiot...)" Her voice wavered. He looked up and was horrified when he saw that she was crying. Yet... smiling, too? "(You're... such an idiot!)"

His heart twisted in his chest at the sight. "(... I know.)" He moved forwards and embraced her in a hug. The feel of her fur-covered skin on his was warm. Pleasant. Depressingly so. "(I'm sorry...)" His eyes started to cloud over with tears. "(I'm so sorry...)"

"(Heh...)" Buizel said quietly from behind him.

After a few moments, he felt Buneary's paws wrap around him. The feeling was so nice. So very, very nice.

Again, depressingly so.

"(It's okay...)" she replied gently. "(... So, you really didn't do anything?)"

"(No...)"

"(Then why did you say you did?)"

"(I dunno...)"

She giggled lightly. "(You're such a dope...)"

He buried his face in her shoulder in shame. "(I know...)"

There was a long pause. The silence was comforting, yet deafening at the same time.

"(... Hey. Pikachu?)"

"(Yeah?)"

"(Um... do you wanna...?)"

He lifted his head slightly, curious. "(Hmm?)"

"(Well... I... I dumped you before, but...)" She paused a moment. "(Do you wanna... try again?)"

His eyes widened. Try again? Inside him, his heart swelled with many different emotions at once. He wasn't sure he could handle them all.

 _Yes_ , his brain screamed.

Yet...

"(B... But...)" He couldn't continue.

"(Y... You don't want to?)"

"(N... No, I...)" He paused, strongly considering his wording. He couldn't afford to mess this up. Not again.

"(Hmm?)"

"(I...)" He sighed lightly. "(H... How could you wanna get back with me after that? I... I really upset you... over... over something so... _so_ stupid...)"

She moved backwards, placing her paws on his shoulders and looking him in the eyes. She said nothing as she gazed at him sadly.

"(I'm...)" he continued, "(I'm the worst boyfriend ever and I...)" He looked away. "(I don't think... you deser... No. I don't...)" He shook his head to clear the fog in his brain. "(Argh. I think... you deserve better than me.)"

Buneary didn't say anything for a while. So long that he looked up to see her reaction.

She had a strange look on her face. Sadness? Pity? Some combination of the two?

After a moment, she shook her head to clear it. "(... No. I... I care about you, Pikachu. I wanna date you... and... well, you did nothing wrong, really. You just _thought_ you did...)" She smiled teasingly. "(And you're apparently so loyal that you freaked out over it.)"

He felt a sliver of heat dust his cheeks. "(Well...)"

"(Dreams are fine, okay? It's real life I'm worried about.)"

"(But...)"

"(Unless you plan to run away with the real one, I don't mind.)"

"(Well, no... A-All we did was talk and... and nuzzle and-)"

"(Hmm?)"

"(N-Not like that! She was feeling down, so I cheered her up and... and she nuzzled me... That was all it was.)"

"(Then why didn't you say that from the beginning?)" Buizel asked from behind him.

He turned his head to see the weasel lounging on the grass. Wow, he'd been so quiet that he'd almost forgotten he was there.

"(Well... 'cause... you know...)"

"(You suck at wording things. Yeah, we know.)"

Buneary giggled lightly. After a moment, she spoke again. "(So, uh... do you wanna?)"

Pikachu turned his head back to her. Remembering the question from before, he paused.

Yes. He wanted to. He really wanted to. Just being near her, seeing her smile again, hearing her laugh again, was making his heart soar in his chest. Did he really deserve a second chance, though?

He focused his attention on the paws on his shoulders. The paws belonging to Buneary. The girl he treasured. The girl he adored.

The girl he loved.

... He may not be worthy of her, but, if she would have him...

He smiled. "(Yeah,)" he replied. "(Yeah, I'd love to.)"

Her face lit up in the brightest smile he'd seen in ages. A second later, he was tackled to the ground. The two of them giggled happily as Buizel watched with a proud smirk.

... If she would have him, then he'd just have to try harder.

Try harder to be the best boyfriend he could be.


	26. Explanations

Author's note: Heya, folks!

Just wanna give a quick reminder about my new PokéPark fic, Smile for Me. It has lots of friendship and, eventually, four different romantic pairings!

Also, my Unova-based fic, Shallow Waters, updated recently, too! Feel free to go and check out both!

Well, with that said, hope you enjoy the chapter!

My best mistake of the day: "( **Just don't breaking heart again** , alright?)"

Aiya! Breaking heart very bad! You get sadness long time!

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-six** **: Explanations**

Once Buneary wiped away her tears and picked herself up from the floor, Pikachu decided to follow suit. As he was pushing himself up, however, she held out a paw, a hopeful smile on her face.

He blinked. Recovering, he smiled back and took her paw. She pulled him to his feet, but neither one let go of the other. A pleasant feeling burned on low heat in Pikachu's chest.

A shuffling noise behind him told him that Buizel had also gotten to his feet.

"(Well,)" the weasel said, "(we should probably head back, if we're all done here.)"

Pikachu turned to him to see him smirking. He gave him a light smile. "(Yeah,)" he replied. He paused a moment. "(... Thanks, Buizel.)"

"(Hmm? For what?)"

"(For... you know... doing the thing to help me... get the thing and-)" He felt a throbbing pain underneath his skull. He held it and flinched. "(... Ow.)" He tried smiling again. "(... Thanks for helping me get Buneary back.)"

"(Pfft. No problem.)" Buizel paused as he looked the mouse over. "(Hey. I didn't hit you too hard, did I?)"

"(No... well, yeah, but... I mean...)"

"(What?)" Buneary asked, shocked. "( _You_ hit him, too?!)"

Buizel shrugged. "(Well, yeah,)" he replied. "(There was a chance he'd _actually_ cheated on you. In which case, he'd deserve it.)"

Pikachu pouted at him, though he couldn't deny that statement.

After a moment, Buizel huffed out a breath of air. "(Though I guess I was a little rough. So... sorry.)"

A tiny smile worked its way onto Pikachu's mouth. "(It's okay,)" he replied. "(I did kinda deserve it, I guess...)" He rubbed his head. "(I just wish my head wasn't pounding...)"

"(Oh, that's right...)" Buneary said tenderly. "(You didn't get any sleep, did you?)"

"(Not much, no.)"

"(Aww... and you hit him while he'd had no sleep!)"

"(Hey, _you_ hit him, too,)" Buizel retorted.

"(... Well...)" Buneary heaved a sigh. "(Yeah, I guess you're right... Sorry, Pikachu...)"

Pikachu turned to give her concerned face a sheepish smile. "(It's okay...)" he replied.

"(You were being a doofus, but... it probably shoulda waited until you'd gotten some sleep...)"

"(Nah, it's fine. I... shouldn't have been a doofus.)"

"(... This was all one big mess, wasn't it?)" Buizel asked. After a moment, Pikachu felt a paw on his head. It lightly ruffled his fur. "(Just don't go breaking her heart again, alright? Don't give me _another_ reason to smack you.)"

Pikachu chuckled awkwardly. "(I won't...)"

Buizel removed his paw. "(Now, let's get back to where the others are.)"

"(Yeah, okay.)"

As Buizel walked past him, a thought occurred to Pikachu. He blinked. "(... Wait. Buneary?)"

"(Mmm?)" Buneary asked, looking curious.

"(When you left earlier, you...)" He pointed in a different direction. "(Went _that_ way, right?)" He moved his finger, pointing it down at the ground where they were standing. "(So why did I find you _here_?)"

"(Oh! Well... I went off for some alone time, 'cause...)" She fidgeted with her fluff. "(I didn't want everyone to see me crying...)"

His heart did a painful jolt at that comment, but he kept silent.

She continued. "(But, after a while, Piplup came looking for me. By then, I'd stopped crying, so I went back to camp, but... then they asked where _you_ were...)"

"(Yeah,)" Buizel added. "(She just burst into tears again and the whole camp went in a panic over it.)"

"(Oh...)" Pikachu replied sadly, his ears drooping.

"(And I was kind of...)" Buneary said, smiling awkwardly, "(... inconsolable after that.)"

Pikachu lowered his head. "(I'm... the worst boyfriend... I dunno why you're dating me, honestly...)"

"(... Because I... well... I like you a lot. I _have_ done for... a long time now, so...)" She paused. "(I mean, you're kind of a doofus, but... you're _my_ doofus. The doofus that I... really care about.)"

Lifting his head, he gave her a small smile. "(Thanks, Buneary.)"

Buizel gave a satisfied huff. "(Come on, you two,)" he said. "(Let's go.)"

* * *

Walking through a row of bushes, Pikachu saw them. The entire group had settled elsewhere, away from the campsite, to give the trio some privacy. In their absence, it seemed that a degree of normalcy had returned. Ash and Dawn were training with Infernape and Cyndaquil, respectively, while Brock watched from a nearby tree stump.

Everyone else in the group seemed to be trying to relax, though they looked decidedly anxious.

Oh boy... this was going to be fun...

As they approached, the first one to see them was Pachirisu.

The squirrel gasped. "(There they are!)" he cried.

Every head snapped in their direction, including the humans'. Stopping in place, Pikachu felt himself shrink under their gazes. Some of which turned into wary frowns upon seeing him.

Before anyone could say anything, Pachirisu dashed towards them at the speed of light. He skidded to a stop in front of them, looking shocked.

"(You're holding paws!)" he cried. "(Does this mean you made up?!)"

"(Well...)" Pikachu replied, but he was distracted by something blue hurtling towards him. "(... Huh?)"

"(You jeeeeerk!)" Piplup cried, tears streaming from his face. He lunged at Pikachu.

Yelping, Pikachu tried to block the attack, only for Buizel to stand in front of him and deflect it. Piplup fell backwards onto the ground.

The penguin scowled upwards. "(What are you defending him for?!)"

"(What are you attacking him for?!)" Buizel retorted. "(You're not even bothering to listen to your own best friend?!)"

Piplup flailed angrily. "(But he cheated on Bunearyyyy!)" He turned his scowling on Buneary. "(And how could you get back with him after what he diiiid?!)"

"(Well...)" Buneary started, but was cut off by a few members of the crowd.

"(So he _did_ cheat on her?)"

"(I can't believe it!)"

"(It was that Eevee girl, right? That's what Piplup said!)"

A few angry agreements followed this statement, their glares towards Pikachu intensifying. Other pokémon, however, still looked confused. Then, suddenly, there was a cacophony of all-consuming noise.

"(He's such a scumbag!)"

"(How could he do that to Buneary?!)"

"(Some boyfriend _he_ is!)"

"(She deserves better!)"

"(Why'd she take him back after _that_?!)"

Pikachu shrunk further and further under their accusations, his heart cold as ice in his chest.

"(Uh...)" Buneary muttered, but she seemed unable to continue.

"(Would he really do that, though?)"

"(Naw, he wouldn't... would he?)"

"(He doesn't seem the type!)"

"(And with someone he barely met?)"

Ash was looking around in a panic. "What's wrong with all the pokémon?!" he cried.

"I dunno!" Dawn replied, also looking panicked. "They just all started yelling out of nowhere!"

"Now, calm down, everyone!" Brock called out. "Whatever's going on, I'm sure it's okay!"

The yelling only got louder after his statement. Pikachu could barely tell what was being said anymore.

"(Did you actually cheat on her, Pikachu?!)" Pachirisu asked. "(Why would you do that?! Why would you try to sink my ship?!)"

"('Cause he's a heartbreaking _jerk_ , that's whyyyy!)" Piplup cried.

Buizel growled. "(Alright, shut up, all of you!)" he yelled. The whole crowd silenced immediately. "(Jeez! I can barely _think_ for the freaking noise!)" He stuck a finger in his ear and twisted it. "(And thanks for the ringing in my ears...)" Pulling it out, he folded his arms. "(Alright, look. Nobody cheated on anybody! Pikachu just _thought_ he did.)"

Piplup sat up, flailing in anger. "(How can you just _think_ you cheated, but actually didn't?!)"

"(It's Pikachu. What do _you_ think?)"

Piplup paused and blinked. "(... Good point.)"

Despite everything - despite the pounding in his head, the ringing in his ears and his generally awful day, from top to bottom - Pikachu blushed slightly.

"(He...)" Buneary said, taking a step forward, "(he made a mistake. He thought... he'd cheated on me... but it was actually a dream.)" All the pokémon stared at her. "(... He... kept having a dream... over and over again, about an eevee... and then, when the _real_ eevee showed up, he thought it was her.)"

"(... That's stupid!)" one of the pokémon said.

"(Yeah. I know... but... he hadn't had any sleep either, so... his head got a bit messed up and he really thought he'd done me wrong, so he... confessed to it... to cheating on me.)" They continued to stare at her. "(In a dream.)"

Pikachu's face suddenly felt hotter than before.

There was a moment of silence. Then half the pokémon fell to the floor in exasperation. The other half burst out laughing.

He wanted to crawl into a hole and... well, not die, but certainly stay there for a long time.

Pulling himself off the floor, Piplup stood up, flailing again. "(Oh, good _legends_ , Pikachu, you're an idiot!)" he screeched.

"(Yeah...)" Pikachu replied, shrinking further, "(I know...)"

Once he'd stopped laughing, Pachirisu breathed a sigh of relief. "(Phew!)" he said. "(I'm glad my ship's as secure as ever!)" He paused. "(I really gotta stop making ship puns.)"

Buizel huffed in amusement. "(Yeah, it's only in danger when Captain Doofus over here thinks there's a problem where there _isn't_ one,)" he replied.

Pachirisu laughed again.

"... Huh," Ash said, putting his wrists on his hips and smiling awkwardly. "I dunno what Buneary said, but the pokémon seem to have calmed down."

Dawn beamed. "Looks like it, Ash!" she replied.

Brock looked directly at Pikachu. "Did you two sort out your problems?" he asked.

Pikachu nodded meekly. "(Yeah...)" he replied, earning a smile in response.

"(I swear,)" Buizel said, "(someone needs to put a leash on this guy...)"

"(Ooh, me! Me!)" Pachirisu said, raising his stubby paw into the air. "(I wanna do it!)"

Pikachu heaved a sigh, though he couldn't counter their argument...

Buneary turned to him. "(Well, it looks like everything's okay again,)" she said.

He gave her a tired smile. "(Yeah...)"

He rubbed at his eyes. They stung slightly and... was his vision blurring, too? He tried to suppress a yawn, but failed.

"(... Oh right, you're tired...)" She paused. "(Well, hey. How about you go and sleep? You look like you need it.)"

"(Yeah, I... guess so...)"

A wave of fatigue hit him like a bullet train. It was suddenly hard to stand.

Wow. He really needed sleep...

"Well, since everything seems back to normal," Brock said cheerfully, "how about we all head back to the campsite?"

"(Okay!)" everyone replied.

As everyone headed back towards the area they'd vacated earlier, they passed by Pikachu, Buneary and Buizel. Quite a few of them shook their heads in exasperation at Pikachu. He couldn't really blame them, honestly. He'd royally screwed up...

As Ash and Dawn began to pass by, they stopped. Pikachu looked up to see both of them smiling down at him and Buneary.

"Everything okay, buddy?" Ash asked.

Pikachu gave a tired nod. "(Yeah...)" he replied.

Dawn's smile became concerned. "I hope whatever happened between you and Pikachu is okay now, Buneary..." she said.

Buneary nodded. "(Yeah, it's fine!)" she replied. "(See?)" She swung their joined paws around slightly.

Dawn sighed in relief. "Good..." After a moment, she put her hands on her hips, leaning down with a stern gaze. "Now, I dunno what happened, but try not to make Buneary cry again, okay, Pikachu?"

Pikachu chuckled awkwardly. "(Sure...)" he replied.

Dawn beamed at him. "Alright, good!" Reaching down, she stroked him on the head. "You be a good boyfriend now!"

"(Y-Yeah...)"

As Dawn removed her hand, Ash chuckled. "It looked kinda sketchy for a while..." he said, "but it seems to be okay now." He pumped a fist. "Hang in there, Pikachu!"

"(Sure thing, Ash...)"

"And good work, Buizel! I guess whatever you did helped!"

"(Pfft,)" Buizel replied in amusement. "(You have no idea...)"

"I don't really get this relationship stuff... but it seems to make you happy, so I wouldn't wanna see it get ruined." He put his wrists on his hips. "You and Buneary make a good match."

Pikachu smiled sincerely at his best friend. "(Thanks, Ash...)"

Ash smiled back. "Well, come on! Let's head back to camp." Turning, he carried on walking. Dawn soon followed him.

"(You two coming?)" Buizel asked.

"(Yeah,)" Buneary replied. She indicated Pikachu with her free paw. "(... Though can you tell everyone to leave him be for a while? He kinda needs his sleep.)"

Buizel nodded. "(Sure thing.)" Turning, he followed Ash and Dawn through the bushes.

Buneary turned to Pikachu. "(Ready to head back?)"

Pikachu heaved a sigh, utterly exhausted. "(Yeah...)" he replied, "(yeah, I am...)" He smiled at her. "(And thanks.)"

She blinked in confusion. "(Huh? For what?)"

"(Well, for... for telling them I need sleep... and all the other stuff, too. Explaining and... yeah...)" He yawned.

She smiled gently at him. "(No problem. Now, go get some sleep, for goodness' sake.)"

"(Yeah... sure...)"

Letting go of her paw, he headed towards the campsite. She followed not far behind him.

* * *

Pikachu had found the perfect spot to sleep. A fair distance away, but not so far that Team Rocket would have easy access to him. Thankfully, Buizel had already told the others to leave him alone for a while, so, hopefully, he wouldn't be disturbed.

Settling into a curled up position, he nestled his face into the grass. He sighed in delight at how comfortable it felt.

It was also warm from the afternoon sun. Ohh, this was going to be a wonderful nap.

He closed his eyes, taking in the pleasant scent of the grass. Relaxation washed over him like rolling waves.

As the sounds around him began to drown out and his consciousness began to drift, he couldn't help but be glad that everything had worked itself out.


	27. Aftermaths

Author's note: Hey, guys!

You know, I don't think I've promoted stuff before, have I? That's because I never think to! So I'mma start now.

Do you like Mystery Dungeon fics? Do you like PikaBun? Do you like tsunderes shipping with shrinking violets? Well, I know a fic that has all of this and more!

 **Pokemon Mystery Dungeon- Explorers of Legends**

by **MewLover54**!

Whew! What a mouthful that title is! It's a pretty good fic, though! I always enjoy reading it and it updates every week! It deserves way more reviews than it gets, so I suggest checking it out!

With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy the chapter! It's a mite shorter than usual, but it said all it needed to say. Until next time, that is!

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-seven** **: Aftermaths**

"(Pikachu...)" a distant voice called.

In the darkness, he stirred.

"(Pikachu...)"

Who was that...?

"(Hey, Pikachu...)"

Was the voice getting louder...?

"(Pikachu...?)"

He cracked open his eyes. Light suddenly flooded his vision. Glancing around, he saw a brown rabbit. Buneary, yeah, that was it. His girlfriend.

As she locked eyes with him, she smiled. "(Hey!)" she said.

"(Hey...)" Pikachu groggily replied. He blinked, his eyelids heavy. After a moment, a thought occurred to him. He squinted in the low lighting of the forest. Hadn't it been bright when he'd fallen asleep? "(... What time is it?)"

"(Dinnertime! Everybody's eating, so I thought I'd bring you your food.)"

He blinked again. As he processed this, he groaned and covered his eyes. "(Dang it... I slept too long... Now Ash can't travel today...)"

"(It's okay! Ash didn't seem to mind. He saw how tired you were and just let you sleep.)"

"(... Mkay...)"

"(Here.)" He heard a bowl being shoved along the grass. "(You hungry?)"

He thought about it, paying attention to his stomach. All he could focus on, though, was how heavy his eyelids felt.

"(Ehhhh... I'm too groggy...)"

"(Oh okay, then. Well, I'll leave it here, in case you do.)"

"(Alright, than-)" Suddenly, he caught a whiff of something wonderful. Something sweet, yet tangy. His eyes shot open. "(Wait.)" His head snapped towards the bowl. It was the usual pellets, but they were covered in a red condiment. His eyes widened. "(Is that ketchup?!)"

Buneary giggled. "(Yeah. I kind of... begged Brock to let me put ketchup on it...)" He heard the sound of her tapping her paws together. "(It was his last packet.)"

Last packet?!

Leaping up and startling Buneary, he dove for the bowl. He took a big whiff. The delectable scent made his stomach growl.

He gave a dreamy smile. "(Thank you so much, Buneary...)" Grabbing a messy handful, he shoved it into his mouth and chewed. He swooned. "(Mmmm...)" Swallowing, he let out a noise halfway between a groan of pleasure and a sigh. "(I love you~)"

He paused. Wait.

Blinking, he looked at Buneary. Buneary was staring back at him.

... Oh dear. This was awkward.

"(Um...)" he continued, "(I-I mean... thanks... I really appreciate it... and stuff...)" He paused awkwardly. "(This was... nice of you.)"

After a moment, Buneary shook off the shock. "(Uh, sure! No problem!)" She gave an awkward chuckle.

Oh, good lord... If Pikachu wasn't so tired, he'd probably be blushing right now. Instead, his insides were squirming in embarrassment.

"(So, uh...)" Buneary continued, smiling brightly, "(yeah! You enjoy your meal! I'll be over by Piplup and co., if you need me!)"

"(Okay, sure...)"

She quickly hopped away.

Insides still squirming, he reached for another handful of ketchup-covered pellets and shoved them into his mouth.

Perhaps it would be best if he just didn't speak anymore...

* * *

Once Pikachu had finished his delicious meal, he cleaned the stickiness off his paws, woke himself up a bit, then headed over to where his friends and girlfriend were chatting.

Stopping by their group, he gave a sheepish smile and a wave of the paw. "(Hey, guys!)" he said.

Piplup folded his arms. "(Well, if it isn't Mr. Relationship Ruiner!)" he said.

Pikachu's ears dipped slightly, though he kept his smile. "(Hey, come on, I said I was sorry...)"

Pachirisu giggled. "(Nope, you done goofed!)" he replied.

"(Hey...)"

Buizel heaved a sigh, putting his wrists on his hips. "(... Did you have a good sleep?)" he asked. "(And _please_ tell me you didn't have any more Eevee dreams...)"

Pikachu blinked. After a moment, he smiled happily. "(Actually, no, I didn't!)" he replied. He paused. "(Actually, I... don't think I had any dreams at all.)"

"(Really?)" Buneary asked.

He turned her way and froze when his eyes met hers. Oh no. Now he was remembering that thing he'd said earlier.

"(Y-Yeah! All dreamless and... stuff.)"

"(Wow, neat!)" Pachirisu replied, thankfully distracting him. The squirrel giggled. "(Maybe the eevee's taking a break!)"

Pikachu's eyes widened.

Buizel rolled his eyes. "(Oh, please,)" he said. "(Don't get him started on _that_ again...)"

"(Yeah,)" Piplup agreed. He flailed in annoyance. "(Otherwise, we'll be here all freaking dayyyy!)" He went back to folding his arms. "(And, this time, I _will_ peck him.)"

Pikachu chuckled awkwardly again.

Pachirisu tilted his head. "(So why _did_ you dream about an eevee so much, huh?)" he asked.

"(I... I dunno,)" Pikachu replied.

Buizel sighed. "(He probably got the idea in his head, then thought about it way too much,)" he said.

Suddenly, Pikachu felt a paw on his shoulder. He turned to see that it was Buneary. His face went warm just from seeing her so close.

"(And then you got paranoid, right?)" she asked in concern.

"(Y-Yeah...)" Pikachu replied.

"(And the more paranoid he got,)" Buizel continued, "(the more he thought about her.)"

"(And the more he thought about her...)" Pachirisu said slowly, "(the more he dreamed about her. Is that right?)"

"(Pretty much. That's what _I_ think, anyway.)"

"(Urgh,)" Piplup said, rolling his eyes, "(honestly, Pikachu... I helped make this relationship happen, so don't you dare ruin it!)"

Pikachu chuckled awkwardly. "(I'll try not to...)" he replied. Piplup glared at him, making him panic. "(I-I mean, I won't! I definitely won't!)"

Buneary sighed, removing her paw from his shoulder. "(Guys, go easy on him, please...)" she said.

Pachirisu beamed. "(We _are_ going easy on him!)" he replied.

Buizel smirked. "(Yeah, this is them being nice,)" he said.

Buneary sighed again, softer this time.

"(Hmph,)" Piplup said. "(Well, he'd better make up for it with a good game of tag, that's all I can say!)"

Pikachu chuckled. "(Yeah, sure, Piplup,)" he replied.

"(Hmph. Fine. Then I'll go round up some pokémon to play with. Pachirisu, you're coming with me.)"

Pachirisu blinked. "(I am?)" he asked.

"(Yes. Now come on.)"

Pachirisu beamed. "(Okay~!)"

The two of them left to gather some pokémon for their game.

Pikachu heard Buneary giggle lightly from beside him. His heartbeat increased at the sound. He turned to see her soft smile.

"(Those two, I swear...)" she said quietly.

He chuckled awkwardly again. "(Y-Yeah...)" he replied.

Dang, he'd done nothing but stutter since earlier. Well, at least she seemed to have taken what he'd said as casually as he'd said it...

* * *

"(Tag, you're it!)" Staraptor cried, tapping Infernape on the back with a wing, then flying off again.

Infernape jumped in surprise. He frowned in mock-annoyance. "(Oh, come on!)" he called back.

"(I tagged you fair and square, bro!)"

"(Urgh...)"

Infernape scanned the area. The other pokémon who were playing all looked back at him, anxiously trying to guess his next move.

Elsewhere, Pikachu could see Gible nibbling on a rock, Croagunk staring into space and Mamoswine lounging, while chatting to Torterra.

Eventually, Infernape chose his target and dashed forwards. Squealing in mock-panic, Sudowoodo, Cyndaquil and Happiny all fled in separate directions.

Smiling, Pikachu began to run away, as well. Just in case Infernape changed his mind and came after _him_ , instead. He didn't want to be an easy target, if that was the case.

He watched his other friends run away, too, a fun time being had by all.

* * *

Later that night, Pikachu and Buneary lay nestled against one another, Buneary already snoozing lightly.

Pikachu wanted to sleep, too, but he was having a bit of trouble. Less than before, though, since his mind felt oddly free of stress tonight. It was a welcome change.

Still, though... he couldn't stop thinking about earlier. About what he'd said.

He hadn't been thinking at all when he'd said it, being so caught up in the moment of actually eating ketchup. He'd meant it, of course, but not in _that_ way.

... In fact, with all that had happened lately, he hadn't had time to so much as _think_ about telling her that. About meaning it the _other_ way...

His heart pounded in panic just thinking about it.

... _Should_ he tell her?

If so, _how_ should he tell her?

... Then again, it was probably far too soon after the 'cheating' fiasco to even _broach_ the topic. Things probably needed to cool down a bit first.

Yeah. Yeah, that seemed like the best idea.

After all, every time he rushed into things, they ended up a horrible mess. He couldn't afford for the same thing to happen here. Not when the thing he wanted to say was so important.

... Plus, if he was honest with himself, he was kind of scared. This was a big emotion that he'd never felt before in his life.

 _Was_ it even love? He assumed so. He had no idea what it was if it _wasn't_ this.

He glanced sideways at his girlfriend. Inside the pit of his stomach, a fire burned. It wasn't passionate and explosive, like he could recall it being in the past. Instead, it simmered, like whenever Brock left his cooker on a low heat to cook soup. It felt warm. Fluffy. Cosy.

Unlike earlier - when he'd screwed things up almost beyond repair - it didn't feel cold anymore. It felt like a blanket. Comforting. Reassuring. It was a feeling that he realised he never wanted to lose.

He smiled to himself. Yeah. If this wasn't what love felt like, then, quite frankly, he had no idea what it was. So he could only assume this was it.

... And it felt good.


End file.
